


Woes of A Crow

by Wisdo101



Category: 2P Hetalia - Fandom, Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, will be nsfw later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-15
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-20 23:29:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4806290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wisdo101/pseuds/Wisdo101
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the Crow prince, Gilbert has everything - wealth, freedom, good looks, and everything a prince can ask for. But his attitude towards certain people is something that not many people are fond of. He doesn't care and continues to be the stuck up,snobbish prince that he is - until his parents had enough. With threats of him losing his title, Gilbert is given an ultimatum - learn to respect his fellow people or lose his chances of becoming king. Reluctantly, the prince agrees to it but as his learning begins, he finds it's much harder to do - especially when his teacher is someone younger than him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in a fantasy realm where the places/languages are the same but everyone has wings and other features like certain birds. There are numerous of birds species and no two people are the same. Humans with birds like features pretty much and kingdoms are ran by certain bird families - so people will be referred to as the birds they are associated with. This focuses on one kingdom where Gilbert and his family are a family of Crows that rule over the Prussian kingdom. His father, King Alberich, runs a good kingdom and is well known as a very likeable man among the people. But his oldest son isn't very too nice towards people who are not royal or of noble birth; it's so bad, that his attitude is well known among everyone whose ever been around the prince  
> .  
> ((this is a fantasy au so not everything will be historical accurate.))

Gilbert was everything a prince should be - good looking, an excellent fighter, intelligent, and talented. 

He was almost the perfect royal prince at 24 years old; if it weren't for his repulsive attitude towards the common folk and less fortunate. The Crow prince - with his large black wings, snowy white hair, and crimson eyes - was not someone anyone wanted around if there were servants or commoners. He was always the main reason for people to gossip about because no one understood why he turned out to be so rude. King Alberich and his wife, Queen Julianne, were very generous and forgiving towards those whose weren't as fortunate as others. After their marriage, they built orphanages, set up markets and made it easier for those with low income to live comfortable lives. When they had Gilbert, they taught him the about everything they worked hard to achieve. But when got older, the young crow turned out to be resistant to any attempts at being nice towards the common people. He believed they were gross, talked too much, and thought nothing more of them. Despite the royal parents' attempts to change his mind, Gilbert's views didn't change and only got worse when he became an adult. The prince wasn't cruel, he was just a huge bully towards people and refused to change his attitude.  He would snap at servants, tease them, and do whatever it takes to make their work miserable to do - the king always got after him but it didn't do much. They were that Gilbert would be a bad influence for their younger children - 9 year old twins, Ludwig and Luise. Julianne's Birthday party would be the last time the crow prince would behave the way he that he does.

* * *

 It was a warm, late August evening with a lite breezing coming through the gardens. The last day and half was spent preparing for guests -from the food preparations to the decor -  the grand hall was turned into a beautiful scenery. The queen's favorite flowers were placed in different areas, the large windows overlooking the hall were opened, and the band began to play. King Alberich loved spoiling his wife when it came to her birthday; she was a nightingale with looks as beautiful as her singing voice. People would say the old crow fell hard in love with Julianne the moment he heard her sing. They were two people in love, even when both had slightly graying feathers and hair with looks that slowly started to show aging. 

The guests began to appear right at sundown, arriving in carriages and some coming in from a quick flight. Gilbert watched from the sidelines as people entered the hall and began to chat. Dressed in his evening attire, the prince was dashing but had a bored look on his face. He wasn't really one for parties and preferred flying or hunting over that any day. At least his he had his two friends with him; a peacock like man named Francis and a quieter man named Antonio. They were school mates of the prince since they were kids and were always together at social gatherings. Gilbert's nasty attitude towards people never seemed to bother either of them, though they were nicer than he was when it came to certain folk.

"Ah, mon ami, try to lighten up~! It's your mother's birthday and you should be celebrating!" Francis hummed, sipping at a the wine he's been nursing for some time now.

The Spaniard on Gilbert's right nodded, "He's right, Gil. You should try having some fun...the food is amazing and there's plenty of people to talk to."

A sigh came from the prince,"Nein. You guys know I am not a big party goer...I'm only here because I don't want to hear my old man yell at me for not welcoming our guests later on. Besides, I already wished my mother a 'happy birthday' already and gave her the gift I got her." Gilbert stretched his arms, feeling his wings getting stiff from being in one place for the past hour. "Come on, I need to stretched my wings and get some fresh air."

Just as they men gathered themselves to head outside, two blond children came running up to them. it was Ludwig and Luise - both with bright blue eyes,blond hair,with matching outfits (though Luise was wearing a skirt instead of pants) and black wings that still had fluff on them; they held up blue scarves that had their names knitted into them. "Brother, look! Miss Caroline made us scarves for the fall and winter time!" Ludwig spoke first and then Luise, "She said it's going to be chilly this year so we'll be needing them!"

 "Ugh! Why would I want to look at something your nanny made? Go put those tacky things back in your room!" The Prussian replied, giving a disgusted look. The twins nanny was an old bird who always smelled funny to him and bored the prince with her never ending stories about people. "It's not tacky..." Luise mumbled, looking at her new scarf. Her twin pouted and pulled her arm, "Come Lu, let's go show auntie Marie our scarves!" With that, the twins lost themselves in the crowd of guests. "Good riddance! I don't need to be bothered by them anyways!" 

Antonio shook his head, "That's kind of mean, Gilbert. They're just kids wanting to show you their gifts."

"Showing me gifts is just fine, but I don't want to see or touch anything that nanny made. Who knows where her hands been? Besides, I in too much of a good mood to be bothered by those brats right now. Now come on!" Gilbert replied as he made his way into the crowd, calling for his friends to follow. Francis and Antonio followed quietly, dodging people who were dancing and talking with each other. The crow was almost towards the open doors that led to the garden when he collided with a server girl who was carrying glasses of wine for people. Since he was as hard as a rock, the girl was knocked onto her but while the drinks spilled on the ground and on Gil's jacket - the sound of glass breaking caused people to turn to see what happened.

"What the fuck?!' he called out, looking down at his wine stained shirt.

The girl gasped and quickly cleaned up her mess, "I am so sorry, your highness! I must of not seen you there!" She wasn't scared, just shocked that she got knocked on her butt. But she wasn't spared from Gilbert's ridicule. "Bullshit! Watch where you're going! We don't need any klutzy people here!" The scene with the prince snapping at the server girl in front of everyone made people stop what they were doing to see what happened. Most knew Gilbert as a man who would do that but all of it happening in front of numerous of people was a first. The commotion made Alberich and Julianne appear to see what was happening in front of the garden entrance. When they saw their eldest child yelling at a girl, the king spoke up, "Gilbert Beilschmidt,that is enough! You made your point not stop it!"

The prince looked at his parents and pointed to the girl, "This klutz ruined by good jacket! She deserves to be yelled at for being so clumsy!" 

"So that gives you the right to embarrass her in front of our guests?" Julianne quietly spoke, walking over to the girl. She gestured for another server to come over, telling them to get the girl cleaned up. Once they left, she turned back to her son, " You should be ashamed of yourself, Gilbert! This is a night for fun, not ridicule."

"She should of paid more attention, mother." Gilbert mumbled, pulling off his soiled jacket. 

The king growled, "If you're going to be like this you can leave. I will not have you ruining the night for everyone else." Looking at his parents, the young crow rolled his eyes, excusing himself as he headed out. His friends exchanged glances and quickly followed their friend out of the grand hall; people were talking about him now and Gilbert would be someone everyone will be gossiping about for the next few days. Gilbert didn't return to the party that night;instead, his friends and himself flew up to onto the top of the roof to watched everyone down below. In his mind, the prince didn't think he was in the wrong here - all he saw was a server girl not doing her job right and he got caught in her clumsiness. for the rest sod the night, Gilbert talked to his friends about other things until they had to leave and he retired for the night

* * *

The next morning, the staff of the Crow palace were nonstop gossiping about the party, especially they were talking about their rude prince. They knew all too well about his attitude towards them and knew very well to steer clear away from him unless they had to be around him.  When Gilbert appeared, the maids would quickly hush and keep quiet about him, in which he would scoff at how they acted around him. The man had to get outside from the sudden stuffiness of the palace walls so after breakfast he decided to take his morning flight. But just as he was about to take off, a messenger boy came running over to him, calling out to him. "Great..now what?", he mumbled to himself.

Catching his breath, the boy quickly bowed and spoke, "Your highness, your father requests your presence immediately in his study!"

"Not now! I'm busy!" He knew he was going to get his ass chewed out by his father and was in no mood to deal with that. It will be all the same - the king will give him a warning, Gil will agree with it, and then it happens again.   _I rather not deal with that for the hundredth time in a row_ , he thought.

The messenger boy shook his head, "I'm sorry, sir, but he said you must come with me! He won't take 'no' for an answer!" 

Gilbert groaned in annoyance, not really wanting to face his father right now but it looks like he can't avoid it. Tucking his wings back into place, he gestured to the boy to lead the way. He might as well get this over and done with so he can get back to what he was about to do. They headed up into the king's study where his father sat at his desk with his mother standing beside him.  Alberich's never ending glare was locked onto his son as soon as he entered the room, "Sit down, Gilbert." He replied, just as the messenger boy left, shutting the door behind him. The white haired man sat down, looking at his mother then back at his father who was quiet for a few minutes before speaking again.

"Gilbert, do you like embarrassing your family? That fiasco from last night was absolutely uncalled for! You owe your mother here an apology and you owe that girl an apology as well. I will not tolerate this behavior anymore! You're a grown adult and it's time you start acting like one!" The king snapped, keeping his icy blue eyes locked on his son,which made Gilbert shift uncomfortably in his seat.

"I'm sorry, mother for my actions last night, it was rude of me, but I must say, I don't see why i have to apologize to z girl who should of been doing her job properly. I am not going to waste my time on a petty little thing like that." The prince replied, looking at his mother who sighed and frowned, "Gilbert...I forgive you but your attitude towards our common people is getting out of hand. We taught you better than this and I don't understand why you dislike them so much."

The king spoke up again, "Your attitude is atrocious and I am not having it anymore! it shows me nothing but the fact that you are still too childish to take on higher responsibility! So, as punishment, your mother and I have decided to revoke your title of becoming king any time soon." Gilbert's jaw dropped as he heard his punishment, quickly standing up to protest, "Are you kidding me? You're taking away that for one little problem last night?" 

A hand raised up to stop him and Alberich spoke in his calmer voice, "It's not just for that. It's for all the numerous of times you have treated people in such a bad way, making yourself look absolutely uneducated. You're almost 25 and shouldn't be acting like this..."he leaned back in his chair, "but since I am fair, you can redeem yourself and earn back your title."

"...I'm listening..."

"If you can prove to me you can straighten up your act and learn how to be a nicer person towards people, I'll consider giving you back your title to king. You have to learn to be a decent man and actually care about people who aren't noblemen or other royals. If you can do that by your next birthday, I will reconsider everything."

Gilbert leaned back from the desk and folded his arms, "That's it? Oh please! I can do that!"

This time, his mother spoke up, "It's not that simple, Gilbert. Your attitude has to completely change and your have to be true to your word. You have to learn how to care for people and not treat them like dirt. The Beilschmidt family are suppose to give a good impression to people, not a bad one.  So, to ensure you're learning all this correctly, we've sent word for an teacher to help you learn to be more respectful and nicer towards people no matter if they are rich or poor."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing! _Seriously? A teacher for the awesome crow prince like me?_ Gilbert's face lips twisted as he tried to wrap this around his whole mind. "Do you have a problem with that,Gilbert? Your teacher will be arriving tomorrow and he will be keeping a report on how you are doing." His parents were giving him an ultimatum - straighten up his act or lose his chances of ever becoming king.  Gilbert thought about poisoning his father like so many royals have done in the past, but never actually done it, The man wasn't that desperate to become king - he enjoyed his freedom too much to settled down as king. Still, if he didn't do this, the king had ways to make sure Gilbert never took the crown after him. The young crow reluctantly held a hand out, in which his father took it and shook it;the deal was sealed. 

"Wise choice. Your teacher is expected to be here by the afternoon tomorrow and I expect you to behave."

"Right..." _Dear god, what have I gotten myself into?_

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you're enjoying my story so far!<3

Gilbert almost didn't want to get out of bed the next morning. He didn't sleep well because all he could think about was who this teacher was going to be and about the deal he made with his father. He loathed it and wish he could of changed it but when his entitlement of being the future king was on the line, the crow prince didn't want to risk it. After their meeting yesterday, the Prussian's mind was distracted by anger and resentment - he couldn't even focus on his daily flight without thinking about their conversation. Now, as Gilbert laid out on his bed with the morning sun hitting him, he felt that same anger but the resentment was drifting away. Maybe he could find a way to get out of this deal? The sound of a knock at his door and an older maid walking in made him snap out of his deep thought. The maid bowed slightly, placed his breakfast down on the side table and prepared the prince's outfit for the day before leaving him alone. Dressing while eating, the white haired man was able to get ready for the day in minutes - buttoning up his jacket and fixing his boots as he did so. Once done, Gilbert stretched out his arms and wings before heading out of his bedroom, looking around before walking.

Down the hall, a couple of maids were tending to one of the guest bedrooms, preparing it for the prince's new teacher. They sounded excited to have a guest staying with the royal family once more - it's been months since the last one. The last guest they had was his grandmother who visited them for Christmas before heading back to her country home in the Spring time.  Gilbert found their excitement to be a bit dumb since this new teacher is probably some old geezer who naps most of the time and flirts with the younger maids. He rolled his eyes and slight discuss before walking down stairs where he found his family waiting down below; _oh lovely, they've been waiting.._ ,he thought.

"Oh, Gilbert! Just in time! Our guest will be arriving any moment now!" Julianne hummed, smiling as she tended to his collar. The queen loved guests whether they were staying for a day or for a week, it gave her the opportunity to welcome people and have afternoon tea with them, 

"Mother, stop! I look fine!" The prince huffed, slightly blushing as the short nightingale woman fixed her son's appearance as if he was a kid again. He groaned and quickly shot a glare at the giggling twins beside them;they quickly hushed but their smiles still stayed. 

The queen waved a finger at her eldest son, "Now,now, Gilbert. We're going to have a permanent guests for the next few months and I want him to feel welcomed here. He's a long way from home and his family so it will be good to make him feel welcomed in ours."

Alberich looked at Gilbert and smirked, in return, Gilbert gave him a challenging smirk back. _I get over this deal, you just watch Old Bird,_ he thought perking up when the doors opened. The family all moved to face the entrance and watched as two teenage boys entered carrying luggage - which was just 1 large trunk, a small covered cage, and bag. Soon after them, another young man entered; he had light pinkish hair, dressed in simple country clothing, and a pair of blue wings folded neatly behind him. When he came up to the family, the young man bowed and then looked at the king - Gilbert,from where he was, saw how young the boy looked, his bright blue eyes, and his ears pierced 3 times. _He must be here to say that old geezer is taking his time getting here...he's cute though_ t, the prince thought.

"Good to see you again, Your Majesty. It's definitely nice seeing you in your home instead mine." The boy replied in a whimsical British accented voice.

"Same to you, Oliver. You've grown since the last time I saw you, "the king chuckled, facing his family, "Everyone, I would like you to meet, Oliver Kirkland. He's the youngest son of an old schoolmate of mine. Oliver, this is my wife Julianne, my eldest son Gilbert, and my twins - Ludwig and Luise."

Oliver smiled and slightly bowed, "Good afternoon everyone, it's a pleasure meeting you all. My father would have visited as well but he's currently nursing a bad wing and the doctor ordered him to stay put." Alberich shook his head, "That man is always getting himself into some kind of trouble. Glad he's staying home, though," he cleared his throat, "Anyways, Gilbert, Oliver here will be your new teacher for the next couple of months to reteach you the proper etiquette of being a nicer person.

"Wait a minute! You can't be serious?" The prince was taken back, looking at his father in disbelief, "Please tell me you're joking and there's actually going to be a teacher coming here." _There was no way this pink haired who was probably just out of his teens, could be a teacher to anyone! I'm being tricked, aren't I?_ , Gilbert thought. Before anyone else can speak up, the twins stepped forward in front of their older sibling, looking up at Oliver.

"Mister Oliver, will you have time to play with us?" Ludwig asked with his sister nodded, "Yea, Gilbert doesn't like playing with us and the maids don't have a lot of time to play with use because they have work."

The blue bird giggled and nodded, "Of course. I'm sure your brother will spare me some time to spend it with you two."That made the twins smile and bounce in excitement; they both took Oliver's hands and began to talk of games they can play or showing Oliver their collection of toys.  Julianne chuckled and finally spoke up, "Come along Oliver, I'll show you around and let you see the palace, then we can have tea before dinner." The Brit nodded, "Sounds good to me." He let the queen escort him away as she gestured to the boys with the luggage to take Oliver's stuff to his bedroom.  Soon, it was just the king and his eldest son standing there by the staircase - Gilbert's face was still twisted in disbelief about his new teacher. "Something wrong?" Alberich asked with a bit of amusement.

"Yes, something's wrong! How in the hell is that kid a teacher? He looks like he's barely out of school himself! How is that blue spot of a bird going to teach me anything?"

Alberich waved a dismissive hand, "Oliver is a smart and polite young man who is the perfect candidate to teach you those manners you lack. I trust that he will follow his lessons thoroughly and I expect you listen to him." He gave a smirk to his son, "unless you rather give up now and save yourself the trouble." A scoff came from the younger crow, "Hell no! I am not letting you win this time, old man!" The king turned on a heel and walked away, "Good! Make friends with him and follow Oliver's lessons!"

"Like hell I'll make friends with a over polite bird like him!" The young crow scoffed once more, walking outside to get some fresh air. He could hear the faint giggling of his siblings who decided to follow their mother as they gave their new guest a tour. After seeing Oliver, Gilbert was starting to wish for that older man he assumed he was going to get this morning. The little bird was cute at first but now he just thought he was annoying with that politeness of his - so he decided he wasn't going to make this easy for his new teacher. With all that politeness, the prince new there was a breaking point where Oliver will just snap and lose all his goody toe shoe politeness. Maybe if he teased him enough, Gilbert can see just how much patience this new teacher has. _I'm going to make sure this teacher is gone by the end of this month! Then I'll just find my own way to fool my father and end this stupid deal!_

* * *

By dinner time, Oliver saw the whole palace and his new room, returning to the dining hall with Queen Julianne to enjoy his first royal meal. He sat beside her and across from Gilbert, who was quiet the whole time. "So,Oliver,do you think you can handle being in the Crow palace until next year?" The king asked, sipping at his glass of wine that was served to the adults.

"It's going to take some time for me to get use to it all but I'm sure I can handle myself. It's a very beautiful palace and the art is amazing! My father was kidding when he said it was quite the sight to see." Oliver hummed, eating his dinner that was savory and rich. "I'm curious though, how did you two meet? I mean, it's odd seeing how a Crow managed to become friends with grumpy Hawk like my father. He tells me about you all the time and even told me how you helped him meet his Lovebird wife!" 

_He's a lovebird? Great, not only I have to deal with this blue and pink spot, I have to deal with a parrot breed!_ , Gilbert thought as he ate his dinner in silence, _Everyone knows parrots are flamboyant, talkers, and too bright for my taste honestly._

With a hum, Alberich stroked his chin, "i did and he should be glad for that! Hehe...it was way back when we were teens. Your father and I were partners in class - he helped me with my work and I taught him how to fight. We helped each other out and were pretty much friends for life. After graduation, we had to depart because I had royal lessons to begin and he decided to take over his father's market." He glanced at Oliver then looked at his kids, "Kirkland has a well known trading company in his town and they mostly traded food with other small towns in the countryside." The twins gave an 'ooh' and he continue to talk, "Anyways, we still keep in touch and we try to visit him once in awhile. Does he still have that cottage home by the lake?"

Oliver nodded, "Yes! Right now, my eldest brother, Ian, and his new wife are staying there for their honeymoon. He just got married last month and Arthur is currently attending the university in the City of Doves."  The king commented on how good the Kirkland family was doing, making the Lovebird smile.

Julianne looked at her eldest son and frowned, "Gilbert, are you alright? You haven't said a word since we sat down to eat. Are feeling alright?"

"Nein. I'm not feeling well,Mother...I am annoyed that I have to be bothered each day by this pink spot here for the next five months." The prince commented, stuffing his mouth with food to prevent himself from saying anything more.

"Gilbert! He is our guest and you will treat him nicely!" The queen exclaimed, making the lovebird beside her sigh softly, "It's fine, your majesty. I'm sure this is just as surprising for him as it is for me. Someone new in his home, it's probably making him feel a little uncomfortable right now." Oliver smiled, looking at Gilbert who shot him an annoyed glared, _how the hell is still smiling for? He's trying too damn hard to impress my parents._

After dinner, Oliver stood up and excused himself, saying he wanted to rest before his first day of teaching. The royal parents nodded and wished him a 'goodnight' then watched as he walked out of the dining hall. Soon after, Gilbert got up as well and slipped out of the dining hall, heading to the staircase where he caught the Brit right in the middle of the stairway.

"Don't think I'm just going to listen to a common little bird like you just because my parent's hired you." The Prussian crow retorted, folding his arms and leaning against the railing.

Oliver stopped and blinked, "Pardon me?"

Gilbert smirked at his new teacher, "I'm just telling you to prepare because I am not going to be a very good or very nice student, You might as well give up now because I'm not going to back down till you're running out of here in frustration."

Is this man serious? "Gilbert, you're not the first stubborn student I've had. I'm sure whatever you do, it's not going to stop me from teaching you the lessons I have planned out for you."

"Oh? And just how many students have you had?"

A hum came from Oliver as he tapped his chin and thought about that, "You are my 7th student and so far, my oldest one."

The prince scoffed, "Still, you're too young to be a teacher! What are you? 18? 19?"

"Wow, your mother was kidding about your rudeness towards people. But, if you must know, I am 22 years old and I understand if that is hard to believe. I have a young face that fool people all the time."

Yea, no kidding, Gilbert thought, studying the effeminate features of the smaller male's face. He was about to speak again when he saw the twins and their nursemaid come walking out of the dining hall.  Oliver smiled and bowed a bit, "Goodnight, Gilbert. Our first lesson will be after breakfast." He turned on a heel and headed back upstairs, leaving the crow there standing looking irritated. Sighing, the prince headed to his room, "Cute, but too much of a goody toe shoe for my taste. He probably has that stick up his ass all the time and doesn't know how to have some fun." 

Meanwhile,Oliver prepared for bed - dressing in his pajamas and feeding the pet rabbit he brought a long with him. Once that was done, he turned off the light and flopped onto the large, fluffy bed that was going to be his until next year. It was a much better bed than the one back home and it was large enough for two people - or a love bird to stretch his wings and body. He thought about Gilbert and that appalling attitude of his; Gilbert was no doubt a very attractive man but that attitude of his is what makes him ugly. Just talking to the prince for a few minutes made him think the man was a jerk needed major management on those manners of. _How did he get to be almost 25 with that ugly attitude of his?_ , he thought, yawning and relaxing as he did so.

_"Gilbert Beilschmidt....everything a prince should be with manners and a attitude a prince shouldn't have. This will be an interesting teaching experience..."_

 


	3. Chapter 3

Oliver's first morning in the Crow palace was spent eating breakfast with Queen Julianne. She insisted that he joined her for breakfast so they can personally chat before they had to do their own work. He happily joined her, taking the time to talk with her about his plans for Gilbert's lessons and Julianne telling him that if he needed anything or just want to talk that Oliver didn't have to hesitate to come to her. After their chat and meal, the pink haired lovebird excused himself, leaving to the library with a smile on his face - the library was something he was going to enjoy. It had 6 tall bookcases of books, two lounge chairs, a desk, and large windows to bring in the light into the large room; it was the perfect place to study with no distractions. Now all Oliver had to do wast wait...30 minutes passed...45 minutes...an hour...an hour and a half...almost two hours and there was no sign of the prince. Gilbert was intentionally being late for their morning meet, making the younger man slightly irritated. Soon, the crow prince walked into the library in a leisurely stroll and looking quite pleased.

"Oh! Guten morgen, teacher~" He hummed, plopping onto a lounge chair with his legs propped up on an arm and his black wings stretched back. 

Oliver folded his arms and stared at him, "You're late, Gilbert. I said to meet me here after breakfast. Why are you here at almost an hour before lunch time?"

The Prussian hummed, "I know and here I am, right after breakfast. I just decided to have my morning meal outside and since I was outside, I took the time to do my morning flight as well. Funny how fast time goes by when you're soaring through the sky." 

"Being late when you promised to be early isn't very courteous, Gilbert. " The Brit calmly spoke, picking up a book from the desk, "Now that you're here, let's get started. Tell me why do you have such a distaste for the common folk of the palace and town? Surely there's a reason for you behavior towards them."

A small groan escaped the prince's mouth as he stretched his body, "They're nothing but low down, dirty thieves that lie their way through work. If you're not careful, they'll rob you blind and keep a fake smile on as they do it. I don't trust them and don't want them near me!"

Oliver raised and eyebrows at his older student, "You seriously can't pin that on every single person. Most of them are just normal people working hard to support their families and themselves. From the maids that make your bed to the gardener tending to the flowers outside - they all have a purpose and most of the time it's to make it good for their loved ones."

"And when the money runs out too fast, what do they do? They resort to stealing from the people who hired them", Gilbert snapped, waving his hands to emphasize his point. He glanced at his little teacher and held back a smile. Meanwhile, the Brit shook his head, "Again, you can't pin that on every single person,Gilbert. My family are all hardworking people who live comfortable and happy, even when the money is low, we still keep our spirits up. We don't steal or resort to any violence against anyone." Those crimson eyes of the prince glanced at the lovebird, _now's my chance to see if he'll snap..._ "Oh please! Before we know it, your grimy little hands will snatch something that will give you a hefty sum of money and you'll be gone without a word! I heard parrots are known to grab things that are shiny and colorful."

He got stared down by Oliver and saw a pink eyebrow twitch from that comment. Taking a deep breath, the smaller male spoke again, "Gilbert, you may leave now.  We'll continue this tomorrow morning." 

Gilbert was almost too quick to stand up, "Oh good! I was getting bored anyways from all your squawking!" The crow smiled and ruffle that pink hair of the lovebird, "Auf wiedersehen, teach' !" Gilbert chuckled as he headed out of the library, shutting the doors behind him. For a moment, he stood by it,snickering when he heard the Brie groan and say something about this wasn't going to be easy.  "Oh this this is going to be enjoyable..." He whispered, turning on a heel and leaving the hallways with a pep in his step,

For the next couple of days, the prince had a routine; he would arrive super late to their meetings, pretend to be sleeping when Oliver lectured to him, and tease the lovebird about how he'll rob him eventually. By the end of the week, Gilbert managed to get Oliver to the point where he'll shoot the Prussian a glare each time they saw each other - in which he would just grin back at him. _Still not enough though...I want him to snap and leave, but this one is a little tougher to get rid of.._ By the end of the next week, their lessons showed little progress besides Gilbert successfully becoming a bully to his teacher. Annoying him was enjoyable and each time his father asked Oliver how lessons were going, the Brit would reply with a simple 'just fine'.  The prince had to be careful about his reactions because one slip of his actions and his father will be on his ass once more about his behavior. 

Three weeks passed with Oliver still trying to focus on teaching his stubborn pupil. Gilbert had the upside of getting the pink and blue spot to finally get irritated by him - he was a little surprised at how far the Brit lasted but he knew he was getting to Oliver's breaking point.  His plan of finally getting rid of his overly polite teacher and plans to change the deal with his father were coming together quite nicely. On the other side of this, Oliver didn't understand why the prince was being such a mean jerk towards him. He's been nothing but nice to the royal and made sure his lessons were easy to understand, but something just made Gilbert become a huge bully to him. One afternoon, Oliver was outside reading a book with a cup of tea and a half eaten piece of cake - at least this something to look forward too after dealing with that crow. _A stubborn royal prince who refuses to learn anything differently from what he has learn growing up. His parents were very nice towards their staff and townsfolk, so why is it their eldest child was completely opposite of that?_ A maid came by, snapping the lovebird out of his thoughts and look up at her with a smile.

"Good afternoon, sir, would you like me to warm up your tea?" She asked, pointing to the small teapot that was half full with tea that was getting cold.

"No, thank you...but I do tell me, has the prince always been a mean person towards the staff? I mean, he doesn't physically harm them, but verbal abuse is just as bad as anything else."

The young maid sighed and shook her head, "For as long as I remember, yes. This is my 3rd year working for the Beilschmidt family and what I've seen, Prince Gilbert was a pretty mean man towards us. Just a couple weeks at his mother's birthday party, he snapped at one of the younger maids who accidentally bumped into him during the party.The older staff don't understand it either...they said he was a very sweet boy before he came back from school and his attitude turned cold."

Oliver blinked at her, pondering at this, "Do you have any idea what made him that way?"

"No sir. Some speculate he ran with a bad crowd during school and others think he had a bad run with someone while he was away. For all I know, he's been nothing but a jer-" She immediately hushed when she saw Gilbert walking towards them, his friend Francis trailing along beside him. He was the least favorite person the Brit wanted to see but he didn't show it, only keeping a small smile on his face. 

"Pinkie!" Gilbert called out,coming over to pat Oliver's shoulder, "Francis, this is the teacher I told you about. He's not much but trust me, the parrots is  a never ending squawking bird! Oh, and look! He's making friends! Watch out though, Franny, he might pickpocket you when you're not looking."  The blond man beside him chuckle as Oliver's glare returned once more - he hated this negative feeling but there was no way to be happy around this jerk.

The maid stepped back and curtsied to the prince, "With all do respect, your highness, I was only asking if Mr. Kirkland needed anything to make his afternoon a little better, nothing more."

A scoff came from the crow, "Sure! Next thing you know, you're both stealing my mother's jewels and high tailing it as fast as your wings can take you."

Now, Oliver was getting more than irritated with this no good, idiotic prince that he was hired to teach. "Gilbert, please, she was only doing her job. There's no need to be mean to the young woman. Just leave her alone and let her continue with her job." 

Those red eyes were on him now, "Why should I?  Tell me, _Mr. Kirkland_ , are you getting nervous that your plans of stealing won't work?" He was purposely antagonizing the small man,making his friend chuckle behind him.  Gilbert was going to do whatever it took to make Oliver Kirkland snap and it was clearly working by how the lovebird twitched at his words. 

Snapping was achieved. Oliver stood up, glared darkly at the taller man with his wings ruffled up, and raised his voice a littler louder, "That is enough! I don't care if you're the prince, that is no excuse to be a bully to me or to anyone else!  I've been nothing but kind to you and all you do in return is tease me endlessly and refuse to listen to me! What is your problem, Gilbert Beilschmidt?"

The outburst made Gilbert's smile grow, "Aww is the little birdie angry?"

Francis threw in his own comment as well, "Careful, Gilbert! He looks like he'll yell at you to death!"

"Oh mein gott, the horror!

Oliver growled in frustration and retaliated by grabbing cold teapot and splashed the cold liquid in the prince's face, receiving a gasp from the maid off to the side. It was rash, yes, but it did make Gilbert and his friend stop laughing.  "Good day to you,sir."  Folding his wings back in, he turned on a heel and stormed off back inside - leaving Gilbert there in shock, his friend laughing, and the maid quickly cleaning up everything. Oliver headed back to his room and slammed the door,refusing to come out for the rest of the day. He politely declined dining with the rest of the family and took his meal in his room, trying to calm his nerves over that selfish, self centered crow. 

* * *

_Journal #1_

_"Gilbert is by far, one of the most stubborn students I have ever had. He won't listen to what I have to say, he does nothing but tease me, and doing whatever he can to get on my nerves. I don't understand why he has has this inkling to treat those who are below him like they're the worse people in the world.  'All of them are thieves and liars'?? I'm trying my best, but it's proving to much hard than I expected. We'll just see how things go..._

_-Oliver Kirkland_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't get your feathers ruffled up and don't make the little lovebird frustrated!


	4. Chapter 4

It was a success! Gilbert made his uptight, little teacher blow his top off despite getting a face full of tea being splashed in his face. Cleaning up himself up with a towel the maid handed to him, the Prussian glanced at Francis who sat down and folded his arms. "I must say, I didn't think you had it in you,Gilbert, but you did it. You managed to succeed with your plan. Now now what? Are you going to continue with the bullying?" The prince shook his head as he sat down as well, "Nein! I'm going to bask in this success and then I am going to sit and watch the lovebird high tail it out of here." Oh he was very pleased with himself with the nonstop smiling and arrogance the man was giving off. "Alright, Gilbert, but don't let this turn around and bite you in the ass later."The blond man replied, shrugging and letting his friend gloat about what he did and what he was going to do.

The next two days, there was no sight of Oliver anywhere - he remained in his room and only opened it for the maid who came by with his meals. When asked what was wrong, he just told them he wasn't feeling well, not wanting to say the truth that the Brit was crying. When Gilbert walked around, there was whispers about him because they knew Oliver was in his room because of the prince. No one could get the lovebird out of his room - not even the twins could get him out when they tried to get him to go outside to play. 

Gilbert was laid out on his bed with his leg propped up, staring at the ceiling. He should be feeling proud and happy for making Oliver snap, but instead of feeling that way, the prince was feeling guilty. _Why hell was am I feeling guilty? That overly polite bird should be glad I gave him a reason to leave and head back home!_ But the guilty feeling wouldn't shake off, making the crow groan in frustration. "Ugh! That's it! I'm just going to tell Oliver off and make sure he leaves as soon as possible! Then he'll be gone and I won't have to be bothered by this anymore!"

He got up and stormed out of the room, heading to the Brit's room, quickly tensing up when he heard sniffling coming from the room. _Oh fuck...he's still crying?_

A calm, questioning voice spoke up, "Gilbert,"

Julianne was there in the hall, looking at her son with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh! Gutentag, mother! I was just going to-"

"Gilbert, if you're here to tease that poor boy again I will have to force you to keep away from him." She spoke in a quiet, stern tone, "I am absolutely ashamed and embarrassed by your childish actions towards our guest. I know you're the one who teased that poor bird and now you have to own up to your actions. I haven't spoken to your father about this yet and I won't if you change this."

The crow straighten up as he was being reprimanded by his mother, "And what do you want me to do?"

Julianne poked her son's chest, "Apologize and try to be friends with,Oliver. He's only here to help you and I want you to at least be a civilized bird and talk to him without bullying him. Can you do that for me?"

Gilbert chewed on his bottom lip - he didn't want to go back on his teasing but he also didn't want to disappoint his mother anymore. "Yes, mother."

The queen smiled and patted his chest, "Good. Now go and make friends with Oliver but first apologize to him. Do that and I won't let your father here about any of this. It will be our little secret." His father was the last person Gilbert wanted to see so Gilbert sighed and turned to knock on the door, receiving a small pat on his shoulder by his mother as she walked away. Knocking on the door, he got a small reply.

"Come in."

Hesitation for a moment, the white haired man opened the door and heading into the room,instantly receiving a glare from the little bird. Oliver was a mess with his pink hair tousled about, his wings were laid back and his eyes were puffy from previous crying. He looked tired and angry, but didn't jump to snapping just yet, "What do you want? Don't you think I got enough of your teasing already?"

There goes that guilt feeling stirring up inside him again, "Look, I'm not here to tease anymore. I'm just here to apologize to you because I realize that teasing was pretty fucking stupid of me." He cautiously walked over to the desk and sat down across from Oliver, "I came to apologize for bullying you, Oliver Kirkland." Gilbert didn't look at the pink haired Brit as he spoke, feeling sheepish for doing this since he almost never apologized to people. "It was dumb and childish of me...I just wanted you to leave because I didn't like the idea of having a teacher."

Oliver blinked and rubbing his eyes, trying to figure out if this was a joke or the prince was truly apologizing to him. "You're not just saying that, are you? I'm in no mood to be laughed at later on..."

"Nein, of course not! I'm being honest!" Gilbert called out, doing his best to not let his arrogance slip into his apology, "I felt guilty and I knew if I didn't do anything, then that guilt was going but me to death. Even my mother got after my ass for my bullying so I'm here trying to make nice and well, try to be friends with you."

Fiddling with his tear dropped earrings on one ear, Oliver looked off to the side, "Well...I suppose I can give you a second chance to make it up to me. But I must tell you, i don't take friendship so lightly - I want to be friends with people who won't treat me awful and won't be negative towards me. That means not teasing me and saying things like I'm trying to rob from your family."

"Fine, fine! I won't say those things." The crow mumbled with a little stubbornness.

"But have a few conditions,Gilbert; you have to listen to my lessons during our meetings and don't be late."

Gilbert waved a hand, "Fine. I won't slack off - if you must know, I am actually a very good student when I want to be."

Oliver rolled his eyes, raising an eyebrow when the prince leaned forward.

"I'll follow your conditions, but you have to promise not to nag me to death. I am a prince before I'm your student and if I do something that prevents use from meeting up, you can't complain. Deal?"

The Brit sighed and nodded, holding his hand out, "Deal."

Shaking hands, the two men were back to student and teacher once more. "So you can be nice when you want to be. Coming and apologizing to me eas very nice and adult of you." The love bird giggled, smiling once more.

"Yea, yea, just don't think it's going to be a normal thing." 

"Right..." _Let's just hope I didn't make a wrong choice here...other wise, Gilbert will be a lost cause._

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little long and the next few chapters (or all of them) will probably be longer now!

"If someone bumped into you and dropped what was in their hands, what do you?"

"Easy! Tell them they should watch where they're going and stop being so clumsy!"

A sigh came from Oliver and he almost face palmed, "No, Gilbert. You turn and try to help them pick up whatever they dropped. Sometimes peopled can't see where they're going if they're carrying a lot of stuff - it's an accident and no one would do that on purpose." 

Gilbert raised an eyebrow at his teacher, "Why would I do that? That sounds pretty lame and a waste of my time."

"People will remember your good deeds in time, and will return it when you need help. You help someone, they help you hand to hand. Now, let's review today's lessons."

The two men managed to have a steady session in the library since Gilbert apologized. Most of September and October was spent with actual lessons without the two of them arguing (save for a few disagreements. With November nearing, the two of them weren't best friends but they were casual friends that can actually have a conversation with each other. Gilbert was paying attention to Oliver's lessons, but there was still some things that the prince refused to learn. His attention will be directed to something else so he wouldn't have to hear about any of it. With the clock striking 11 o'clock, their two hour session was over with Oliver closing his journal. 

"Alright, Gilbert, session's over for the day" 

The Prussian sat up from laying down on the lounge chair and stretched his arms, "Ahh, very good! Today, I'm free so I'm going to go relax!"

Oliver gathered his books, chuckling as he did so, "That's nice, Gilbert. If you need me, I'll be either in my room or in the garden taking my afternoon tea."

"Wait, wait! Why do you run off so quickly? Sit down and chat with me for a bit,Oliver." The crow hummed, patting the empty spot beside him, "It's not the afternoon yet and I've never had the chance to learn about my teacher aside from I've been told. You're still a mystery to me, Oliver Kirkland."

"Gilbert, really, there's not much to know and I don't want to bore you with my life. Besides, don't you want to relax and enjoy your free day?" The Brit replied, giving a slightly nervous smile.

Waving a hand, Gilbert smiled brightly, "Nein! You're not intruding on my free time. Come on!"

Oliver hummed, questioning his decisions before sitting down beside the prince with his books in his lap. "What would you like to know?"

"Well..." the prince started, "tell me why you wear those multiple earrings? I've seen men wear one or two but why do you wear three and specifically, why dangling earrings?"

"My earrings? Well, the studs are kind of a tradition for my family when we turn 16; it's a sign of coming of age. The men in my family get one piercing on our right ear - I'm kind of picky of having things even so I got my right ear pierced too. As for the two dangling earrings, I wear the, in honor of my late grandmother. She was a big influence on my life and taught me everything I know; she taught kids how to fly until she couldn't fly anymore and my mother took over. These were her earrings that she wanted to give to her first granddaughter but since my mother had all boys and my brothers didn't want them, I took them!" Talking about his grandmother made the love bird smile since he really loved her and was proud to be her grandson.

Gilbert's smiled and listened as the little bird began to speak about his grandmother, liking that Oliver was being open about his personal life. "How sweet of you. It's always good to honor someone whose a big influence to you. So, I already know about your family, your family's business, and all that....so, what do you have planned for the future or once you're done with this?"

Oliver pondered at that, rubbing his chin, "I guess I will travel back home,continued my studies to be a full time teacher and become a teacher like my mother. My eldest brother is taking over the company once my father retires and brother Arthur is currently in school to become a diplomat.  So I have to do something productive as well!  Once I get that together, I'll try to settle down and maybe think of having a family later on. I'll adopt since I'm not attracted to women and there's always orphans who deserve a loving home and family."

"That's a good plan. You've got your mind focused on something that will make you happy." He felt a little sad that he won't see this teacher as often unless Alberich decides to visit the small town Oliver's from. "Okay...next question! So you have any lovers or fiance's back home?" Gilbert's smiled widened as he got curious to hear what the other man would say.

"Not really. I had a fling a few years ago until the man moved away but that was when I was 17 and I haven't really focused on relationships since then." The lovebird shrugged.

Gilbert then smirked, "Oh, so does that mean you're not a virgin or what?"

Oliver's smiled dropped at that question, looking quite offended now, "Now you've gone too far, Gilbert Beilschmidt! I'm leaving now!"

The taller man blinked in confusion as he watched the Brit stand up, standing up after him, "Wait! What does that mean you're a virgin? if you are that's totally fine if you're saving yourself! I don't care if you've fucked with anyone or if you haven't, I'm totally cool with that!"

"Obviously you are by asking those questions!" Completely offended by the Prussian's boldness, Oliver headed towards the door, "Good day to you, sir!" _There goes my hopes of thinking Gilbert actually wanted to have a decent conversation!_

To Gilbert, he didn't see anything wrong with those questions and kind of funny for how the lovebird was getting so worked up about them. "Oh come on, Oliver! I was just being a little curious!" He followed the Brit until he was pushed back by the snap of Oliver's blue wings, making the Prussian step back and flap his large wings to prevent from falling on his ass. "Wow! Careful where you're stretching those wings!"

"Just leave me alone!" The Brit huffed then left the library, leaving the Prussian there looking dumbfounded about how worked up Oliver was getting over a little thing. "Sheesh, I see he still has that stick up his ass and doesn't know how to have some fun!" Recollecting himself and folding his wings back in, the crow headed out of the library, watching Oliver walk off before he headed to his room.

* * *

Oliver grumbled and headed towards outside instead of his room because he needed the cool autumn air to clear his head. He was getting a headache from dealing with Gilbert's endless antics - seriously, was he teaching a 24 year old man child?  As he headed out to the garden, he perked up when he saw the queen at the large gazebo with two guests, all enjoying tea, mini sandwiches, and cake. Julianne spotted him and smiled, waving to the teacher, "Oliver, dear! Come join us!" Seeing the older nightingale's welcoming smile definitely made the Brit feel better as he walked over to join the group, bowing slightly. "Good day to you, your majesty. How are you today?"

Julianne smiled and moved a bit for Oliver to sit down,"I'm doing just fine! I want you to meet a few acquaintances of mine -  Elizaveta Hedervary and Roderich Edelstein. Roderich is my sister's son as well as famous composer; and Elizaveta is the daughter of the head master at the school that the twins attend. She's head of the planning committee in town - any event happening in town, it's because of her."

The Brit smiled more, looking at the man with dark blue wings and the woman with green wings, "Pleased to meet you. I've heard of you, Roderich, my mother loves your music and I must admit, I started learning the piano because of you."

Cleaning his glasses, the dark browned haired man smiled, "It's always nice to meet a fan of my music. It's something I enjoy and definitely a passion that will never grow bored off." He slipped his glasses back on then leaned forward, "Aunt Julianne told me you're teaching that brute of a Prussian some proper manners. I commend you for being able to tolerate his ridiculous attitude. My cousin was never known for his attitude towards people, that's for sure."

Chuckling, Oliver sat down, thanking the maid who brought him a cup, "Thank you. Gilbert's attitude is appalling, though, he's making progress with his attitude towards the maids." He sat his books down and poured himself some tea, "There's still some things he refuses to learn - like helping people people out."

"Have you tried smacking upside the head?" Elizabeta asked, pointing her fork at Oliver before biting into a slice of cake. 

"Eliza, that doesn't work with that stubborn mule of a man. " Roderich replied, sighing in a annoyance.

The light browned hair woman shrugged, "It works for me when it comes to Gilbert."

The queen sighed and shook her head, then looked at Oliver, "It's been almost a month and a half - is he at least making progress in everything else?"

"Oh yes! Gilbert doesn't talk rudely about the servants but he just refuses to help them out. The other day, a maid was struggling with a large box and he wouldn't help her or anything. He just ignored her." Sighing, Oliver nibbled on a sandwich he grabbed after pouring his drink. He just didn't understand why the prince refused to help people and didn't know what else he could do.

Elizaveta perked up, "Oh! I know! You should help him with this month's harvest festival!"

Oliver glanced at her and raised a pink eyebrow, "There's a harvest festival?" 

"Mhmm,"the woman nodded, "Every November, we prepare for winter by gathering in the harvest of course and then we have a big festival afterwards. There's a lot of work to do from actually picking the food to setting up tents! It's a big event right before Christmas and we can always use more help - especially since there's a few people who are retiring from helping this year due do age and health. I bet it can be a big teaching experience for that stubborn prince! The festival is on the 27th and we start prepping next Monday after we get the All Hallow's Eve decorations down."

"It's probably the best idea to get that crow to actually do something useful for a change." Roderich replied, sipping his tea.

The lovebird pondered at this. He didn't pay much attention to the holidays coming because he was so focused on his teachings - he remembered how the twins were showing him their costumes not too long ago and asked the Brit if he'll join them going trick or treating. Oliver used to enjoy the holiday as a kid but eventually grew out of it but their smiling faces made him happy. The harvest festival sounded fun and Elizaveta was right about this being a good opportunity for Gilbert - plus, it will get them out of the palace and into a different scenery. "I like that idea. I'll agree to try it if it's alright with you, your majesty." 

Julianne smiled and nodded, "I'm all for it, dearie, but how are you going to convince Gilbert to help?"

"I'm sure I'll find a way!" Oliver chirped, "Miss Elizaveta, expect us there in town, Monday morning."

Elizaveta smiled more, "I look forward to seeing you there, Oliver!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please comment and let me know if you like/what i can add/etc! It's really encouraging!


	6. Chapter 6

All Hallows Eve week passed quickly since the meeting with the queen. Ludwig and Luise was enjoyed their day being dressed as little monsters while getting sweets from the town. They both shared their sweets among certain people with Oliver being one of those certain people and Gilbert snagging a few chocolates from them. The week's lessons with the prince and his pink haired teacher were cancelled, making Gilbert question why. It was so sudden and he didn't understand why the lovebird would suddenly stop their lessons for a whole week - he was glad about it, but it still made him suspicious. In truth, Oliver was prepping for next Monday and figuring out how to bring the subject to Gilbert without the taller man having a fit. He had those red eyes locked on him each time they passed by each other and it made the Brit wonder if Gilbert was a hawk instead of a crow.  He didn't talk much with the Prussian because Oliver was still annoyed about the other man's personal questions from the other day. By Sunday evening, Oliver excused himself from the table when he was done with dinner, wanting to get some sleep to start tomorrow in a good mood. The lovebird headed to his room but was quickly stopped back a black wing that was outstretched, blocking the hall that led to his room. Of course, it was Gilbert who stopped the shorter man from going to his room.

"Gilbert, please move. I would like to go to my room now." 

The prince shook his head, "Nein, not yet! I want to know why you cancelled the rest of the week's meetings. It's a little suspicious and oddly not like you, Oliver Kirkland."

Oliver rolled his eyes at the taller man, "Why do you care? You should be happy that  you don't have to take the time to go to the library and you have your mornings back yourself for a week."

"Ja, i'm very happy about that, but it still doesn't change the fact that I'm a little suspicious about your sudden cancellation." Folding his wing back in, Gilbert leaned forward to be at eye level with his young teacher, squinted at him as he did so, "You're not planning anything bad, are you?"

"Ergh- no! Of course not! Why would I do such a thing?" The Brit scrunched his eyebrows, shaking his head, "Why are you acting so suspicious? I'm harmless!"

Gilbert leaned back and folded his arms, "It's just how I am. You never know what could happen inside of your home and being a future king, I've been taught to have a second sense to know when things happen in the palace."

Rolling his eyes, Oliver patted Gilbert's chest, "If you must know, I am planning something that's going to take a different turn on our lessons. It's a surprise, hence me not saying anything about it. So, tomorrow morning, be ready by 9 am and dress lightly!." He began to walk pass the Prussian, "Good night Gilbert, sleep well." The crow prince frowned as he watched his teacher walk away, but his smile was back when he got a glimpse of the younger man's butt swaying. "Yea...night..." 

* * *

The next morning, after breakfast, the two men gathered in front of the stairway, preparing for the day. Both were dressed in simple button up shirts and trousers, with Gilbert looking at the clothing with a questioning look. He wasn't use to wearing simple clothing like this, "Okay, I have to ask; why am I wearing this? It's kind of odd to be wearing this for lessons."

Humming softly, the lovebird smiled at his older pupil, "We're taking our lessons outside of the library and palace. Now come along, Gilbert." He walked out towards the front where a horse drawn carriage was waiting for them. This made the crow raise an eyebrow as they got inside and headed out towards the town that was down below the hill from the palace. Silently wondering why they were leaving, the prince leaned against his propped hand and looked at either the window or at the bubbly pink Brit in front of him. Twenty minutes later, they were dropped off in the middle of town near the large fountain in the middle and looked around to see people busy with work. "Oliver, why are we in town?"

Oliver smiled and moved to stand in front of the crow, "Since you won't listen to me about helping people, you're going to have a first hand experience with helping others. So, you and I are going to help the townsfolk prepare for the harvest festival. "

upon hearing that, Gilbert instantly reacted, "Oh hell no! I'm not being forced into helping people just because you said so! I'm heading back home!" It was a 35 minute walk or a 12 minute flight back home - he can do it.

"You can't leave! Your mother already knows about this and is all in for you to help!" _I should respected this from the over dramatic crow_ , he thought.

"Don't care! i'm leaving!" Gilbert snapped, but let out a squawk when one of his wings were gently tugged, "Ow! What the hell Oliver?"

"You can't leave!" The Brit replied, "Your mother has agreed that this will be helpful to improving your attitude and I definitely agree with her! So for the next four weeks, you're going to help everyone prepare!"

The crow was pissed off for being tricked into something he highly refused to do, _this sneaky pink minx! I'm seriously getting him back for this!_ Clearly not happy, the Prussian was about to argue in his defense when they were approached by Elizaveta. She was dressed in a light green dress with her long light brown hair pinned up in a bun - giggling, she waved to them.

"What's wrong, Gilbert? Afraid to get your hands dirty with some actual hard work?" She asked, folding her arms and smirking.

"Oh hush, Liz! I don't need your damn two sense in this!" Gilbert snapped, rubbing his wing that was grabbed earlier. "I'm not going to stay here and do anything!"

The woman sighed and shook her head, "Stubborn as always, I see. It's a shame really - I was so hoping that our eldest prince would do the honors and help us prepare for the festivities." Elizaveta then smirked and called out, "Everyone! Prince Gilbert has announced that he would be joining us in gathering this year's harvest!" The townsfolk nearby clapped and cheered to know the good news about their prince. The prince's tensed and his feathers fluffed up when he heard the woman call out, "Liz! What the hell was that for?"

Folding her arms, the woman just kept her smile, "So you can't back out of this now, of course!"

Oliver watched as the two of them bicker about them being there, giggling at how they both reacted with each other. He patted the riled up crow and spoke, "Oh come now, Gilbert! I'm sure it will be fun and it will be over before you know it."

A sigh came from the other man, "Fine. I'll help with your silly festival..." Gilbert - a man who did sword fighting, planned scouting parties and hailed an excellent soldier - was not reduced to a common farmer and he hated it.

"Wonderful! You will be helping out Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm - with an hour lunch at 12. I expect you both to pull your weight around and to help your groups." Elizaveta replied, glancing at Gilbert mainly because she knew how the crow was like with helping other people. "Think you can handle all that?"

"Oh please! This is nothing!" The Prussian scoffed, waving a hand.

Elizaveta giggled and looked at her clipboard, "Well then, let's get started.  Gilbert, since you're strong and a capable body, you'll be working with the heavier stuff like carrying crates and barrels. As for you, Oliver...hmm..you're so puny..." She glanced at the lovebird then back at her clipboard, "For right now, I can assign you to help pick vegetables. There's 2 large farms on the far side from here where all the food for our town is grown. Go over there and look for Betty; she's an older woman and easily to spot with the red spot in the middle of her wings. She'll tell you what to do from there. Think you guys can handle that for now?"

Oliver chirped excitedly, "Yep! I'll do my best and I'm sure he would too." He nudged at the crow beside him who just rolled his eyes.

Chuckling, the woman looked at the two men. "Good. Now, help each other out and your fellow workers - we are all doing the same thing and are all focused on the same goal here. Also, don't get use to one job - since we're limited on capable adults, everyone's going to be doing multiple jobs." She glanced at Gilbert, who was standing there like a scolded child, then back at Oliver. "Out here, you're just Gilbert and Oliver. Not fancy titles, no attitudes, and any problems you have, leave them at home. Understood?"

"Yes, fine!  Come on and let's get this done. The faster we do this the faster I can get home and out of these plain clothes." The Prussian replied, waving his hand. Oliver just giggled and watched his older student walk away, _I wonder how these next few weeks will go...._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll just have to see, Oliver~ 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot is happening so it's a long chapter!   
> Enjoy!

Oliver stretched out his wings and flew over to the farming area to save himself the trouble of walking over there. He saw the many rows of produce and grains that covered a large field outside of the little town, as well as the people out picking the food. Landing, he looked around for Betty, finding the woman talking to a few people - she had graying black hair, green eyes, and a gentle face. "Excuse me! Are you Betty?"

She turned and smiled, "Aye, that's me. Who are you,love?"

"My name is Oliver Kirkland, ma'am. Miss Elizaveta sent me here to help with picking the produce."

"Oh! Good, good! She was saying something about having a few more extra hands helping us out this year. Alright, Oliver, we have plenty of things to do so follow me and I'll get you started." The old bird hummed, gesturing the lovebird to follow her - in return, he happily followed, getting excited to start helping. 

* * *

Week 1

Gilbert had trouble with taking orders from the common folk as well as working well with other people. They quickly got him working on the heavy lifting of barrels and a few of them laughed when he struggled with some of them. He wasn't weak, but his strength came from fighting with a sword, not carrying barrels from one place to another. The crow also hated how the older birds who were in charge gave him orders and expected him to follow them - he would glare and about to argue until Elizaveta appeared to hush him up. He knew she was waiting for the perfect chance to gloat to him about any of this. Refusing to let her, or even Oliver, have the upper hand in all of this, the prince kept his mouth shut and continued to work. Each day, when both men arrived back home, they were dirty, sweaty and despite being tired, Oliver still had that bubbly smile on his face. How can that Brit still be smiling after so much work? That's unnatural!

By dinner time each night, Alberich would ask how each day went and Oliver would speak nonstop about it while his son kept to a minimum of his answers with 'it was fine'.His pride wouldn't let him show how exhausted he was after the day nor would he show it. If he yawned, Gilbert would just say he was bored but his parents knew that the man was tired. Oliver was puzzled about how things went with the Prussian since they were apart and he wasn't there to keep an eye on his pupil.

"Gilbert? How are things coming along on your part? Are you treating everyone nicely?"

The crow waved a hand, "Ja, ja, I'm doing my work and Liz is on my ass about things. I don't need constant attention you know."

Smiling, Oliver giggled, "I know, but I know how you are with people and I just want to make sure you're being a team player."

"You don't have to worry about me. I may not enjoy this but I'm not about to give up! If I do that, I won't hear the end of it from Liz or from you."

Week 2

Next Monday, Oliver was lucky enough to work closer to town with cleaning out the storage shed the town used to keep all the wheat and grains in. Eizaveta told him when it wasn't being used during the warmer months, it was used as a storage for a few nearby shops. He also learned that during the fall and winter months, the townsfolk put the wheat/ grains in the large shed to protect them from the cold and snow. Working along with Gilbert and 2 women, the love bird helped move boxes into a smaller, temporary place. The Prussian was there to help with the much heavier boxes that he nor the women could pick up so it was nice seeing the crow help out. Two hours in, Oliver came walking out with a box to see Gilbert leaning against the wall with a propped up foot. "Gilbert, there's a box of tools in here that's kind of heavy for us. Can you get it?"

"Ja, just give me a sec. I haven't taken a break yet so give me a few minutes." He replied, waving a dismissive hand. 

"Didn't you just take a break like 20 minutes ago?" Oliver asked setting the box down by his feet as he spoke to the Prussian, raising an thick, pink eyebrow at his pupil.

The crow raised an eyebrow back, "I didn't take a break. I've been working since we arrived into town this morning. Ease up, Oliver, I'll get back to work in a few minutes." He folded his arms and hummed.

A small smirk came across Oliver's face, "Ohhh, so you haven't given up yet, have you? I'm surprise you lasted this far! You're doing much better than I expected, Gilbert! I'm so proud of you!"

Gilbert couldn't help but scoff, "Oi, I'm not giving up that easily! What kind of man do you take me for?......don't answer that."

His teacher snorted then picked up the box up again, "Get back to work, you dork."

A few days passed with more town work - including raking leaves, cleaning windows, etc. - and the prince was working diligently without any complaints. Oliver noticed the prince was getting more involved with the people and the townsfolk enjoyed having him around. This really was a good idea  - the crow is working with others without throwing his status around or showing disgust. True, he was still bothered that he had to do all this instead of staying in his home but Gilbert's attitude was changing for the better.  On Thursday afternoon, the weather was changing with cooler air and getting darker earlier than before - it was nice to walk around in when you weren't working. Taking a break, the Brit walked around and saw Gilbert walking down a small trail, whistling to himself. He was about to call to the Prussian when a couple of young boys came running past him with wooden swords, play fighting and giggling. They weren't paying any attention and one ended up bumping into the prince, making him stumble a bit. 

"Hey! Watch i-" He was about to snap until he saw the little boy looking up at him from the ground. The kid looked frightened and Oliver watched to make sure Gilbert wouldn't do anything mean.

"S-Sorry...!" The kid squeaked as his friend came over to the prince, quickly apologizing more for his friend. Gilbert saw the wooden swords and shook his head, "Nein, it's fine. What are you two playing?"

The boy who bumped into Gilbert picked himself back up onto his feet, holding up his sword, "I'm fighting to protect the fort! But I keep tripping so I ran!"

Gilbert chuckled, "I see. Well, you can't fight like that if you run away or hold your sword like that! You've got to hold it like this." He knelt down and began to show the little boys how to properly hold a sword as well as swinging it. The whole time, the Prussian had a smile on his face and the kids were excited to learn from the prince.

Thinking the worse, it was a relieve for Oliver to see that his older student was becoming a teacher himself. In fact, he was happy to see how nice Gilbert was being with a couple of kids who were eager to learn. There was no malice, no crying, and it was all smiles for all three birds - was this because they were kids? The boys looked about the same age as the twins back home and the Prussian had a small soft spot for children. It was a cute scene to watch but Oliver was still unsure how Gilbert was around the adults, though he's been smiling much more now than when they started out. The more he watched the crow interact with people and help them out, the more Oliver grew fond of Gilbert's positive attitude; this surely wasn't the rude man he met a few months ago. He was also quite proud of himself for being able to teach the Prussian how to properly act and for all his lessons finally coming into play. He watched as the little boys ran off to play once more, seeing Gilbert chuckle as they properly fought with their wooden swords. Seeing that smile,it made Oliver stop and stare for a moment.

 The next day, Oliver couldn't stop thinking about Gilbert and his interaction with the kids. It made him wonder if the man really did have a soft spot for people that he just covered up by a hard exterior. He made his way down to the crops again when he spotted a group of women all gathered around a fence, cooing and giggling about something. Curiously, he walked over to see what was going,"Why is everyone gathered around like this?" There was roughly 7 or 8 women all bunched together and one turned to smile at the lovebird, "We're enjoying the view!"

"Enjoying the view...?"

The skinny Brit squeezed his way through wingers and bodies to sit right in the front, gasping at what he saw. It was Gilbert, along with a few other men, working out in the field with his shirt off and glistening with sweat. Betty must of convince him to come working out in the field and boy did it make the woman happy.  Oliver blushed as he saw the Prussian stop working, wipe his brow, and smile at the group. The squealing grew louder at that but the prince's red eyes were locked on the blushing Brit whose face was nearly as pink as his hair. He winked at Oliver and the lovebird looked away, making Gilbert chuckle before heading back to work.  The Brit quickly made his way back to town, hiding away to calm his nerves and beating heart. "This is ridiculous! Why am I suddenly so nervous about looking at him??" He did his best to calm down but his face was still pink from the blushing. For the rest of the day as well into the weekend, Oliver avoided Gilbert because every time he saw the man, the lovebird's cheeks turned pink and the image of Gilbert sweating half naked popped into his head.

Week 3

Two weeks down;two more to go. Work was coming along nicely with very little mishaps around town - everyone was getting excited for the festival. The weather was getting cooler too and the leaves were turning hues of red or falling by now. One old man claimed winter will come early this year by the looks of it and another said it will last longer than the usual two months. This week, everyone was working on setting up the large gathering tent; setting up tables and chairs; and entertainment setups. Elizaveta told Oliver that they always had a live band perform, anyone who was willing to sing, as well as many dances all through the night. All this was making the lovebird excited because he never experienced such a large festival like this back home. The whole time working this week, though, the lovebird avoided Gilbert instead of keeping tabs on him in case the Prussian slipped up. At first, the Prussian didn't question it but after a few days, it bugged him that the Brit wasn't talking to him as usual.

He caught Oliver as he was walking down the street with a crate full of apples, "Oi, we need to talk."

"Ah- what for? Is there a problem? Did something happen?"

"Yea, there's a problem. It's your sudden avoidance of me and your attitude changing. Did I do something wrong because you're usually on my ass on things by now but you're not even coming around to visit."

Oliver looked off to the side, slightly blushing at the sudden interrogation. He should of known Gilbert would figure something was up eventually  - oblivious as he can be, the Prussian wasn't an idiot. "I just have a lot on my mind, Gilbert. We've both been pretty busy and I just didn't want to interfere with that." He set the crate down then fixed his scarf as they spoke, avoiding looking at those red eyes.

The prince scoffed, "Bull shit. That hasn't stopped you before! Seriously, what's going on? Did someone mess with you?" He truly sounded worried about the smaller man and Oliver couldn't help but just chew on his bottom lip. The crow never sounded so worried about him before and he quickly stopped himself from thinking this was something more than just a friend worried about another friend. "I'm fine, Gilbert. I think the weather and work is getting to me, that's all."

"Go home if you're feeling sick, Olive. We can have you getting sick and passing out while working - Liz will freak out." Gilbert chuckled, gently patting the Brit's shoulder - _is he really caring about my health? This is new...._

"R-Right...I'll go sit down for a bit and make sure I'm not coming down with anything."

"Ahh, gut,gut! I don't think I can handle being out here alone if you're back home in bed where I wanna be!" The prince teased, ruffling the Brit's soft, pink hair before snagging an apple from the crate. "Take care of yourself first, Oliver. That's an order!"

Oliver blinked and nodded, feeling his blush get darker, "I-I will...!"

A few guys called over to the crow, waving for him to come with them on a small hunt to pass the time. calling back, he began to walk towards them, looking back at Oliver, "See you back home, Oliver! I'll be arriving late!"

With that, he left the Brit standing there watching him leave. Oliver was conflicted now - feeling happy that his pupil care about his health and seeing the man talking to him in a much nicer tone, made him very happy. Whenever they spoke, the Brit's heart beat went a little faster and he all smiles around the prince. These past two and half weeks have been busy with a lot of work as well as changes for the both of them. Oliver got to meet new people and Gilbert's attitude was changing - though, no one knew whether it was just for the festival or for good.  He was still confused as to why the Prussian was so mean towards the townsfolk who've been nothing but kind to him. So much was going through the lovebird's mind and he just didn't know how to handle it all - he kept it to himself for the rest of the week. Even at home, he was avoiding any conversations with the prince and when Julianne asked if something was wrong, he just told her he was exhausted from the work he's been doing.

Week 4

The hype for the festival was getting to everyone. This coming Friday was the festival and everyone was talking about it - women talked of what they'll be wearing or cooking,kids were excited for the planned games, and the men talked about everything else. This weeks was focused on final preparations, putting up decorations and of course, all the cooking. Oliver was helping with putting up decorations with fall colors around shop windows and doors, but something was distracting him. Gilbert was away with a couple of men who wanted to hunt a couple deer for Friday's meal while the Brit was working in town. He wasn't smiling as he was working and Elizaveta took notice of this really quick.

"Oliver! Can I speak with you in private?"

He perked up and nodded, "Yes ma'am." Oliver handed the remaining decorations to a nearby sparrow woman and walked over to his friend who pulled him over to a bench over by a large oak tree.

They both sat and she quietly spoke, "What's going on? Something's really bothering you, I can tell."

"How did you...?"

"Women's intuition. We always know when something is bothering our friends. Now tell me what's up."

Oliver sighed softly, fiddling with the feathers on one of his wings, "I...I'm having some personal troubles about someone. I don't understand it but lately, when I'm around this person, I get nervous and I just can't bring myself to properly speak to this person. I've been avoiding them a lot lately and I just don't know how to bring myself to talk to this person about how I feel because I don't know how I feel. I'm not mad at them or hurt...I just...I don't know...I think there's something wrong with me..."

Elizaveta listened to her friend then giggled when she realized something. "Oh, Oliver, dear, there's nothing wrong with you! You just happen to be bitten by the love bug!"

"The lovebug...? Wait, what are you saying?"

"You silly bird! You're in love!" She giggled, holding a hand to her mouth to try to stop.

The Brit's head snapped over to look her in shock, 'What? No! No! That can't be! I'm not in love with this someone! I mean how can i be? This someone gets on my nerves a lot a-and they're just out here because I made them come out here!"

"Getting nervous when they look at you, avoiding their gaze, unable to speak to them properly, sighing while being distracted. Oh yes, you're in love with this someone,Ollie!" The woman gave him a side hug,"and I think if you talk to this someone, he just might return the feelings because I've noticed how he looks at you."

"How do you know it's a 'he' and know who I'm talking about?"

"Oh please, Oliver! You two are the only ones who you talk to the most and know each other the best. I'm not dumb, I see how you look at Gilbert all dreamy like~"

Oliver blushed and rubbed his cheeks, "Don't tell him anything okay? I need to think this over before approaching the man about it."

Elizaveta nodded, "I won't tell him, but try to keep it from affecting your work. You've been a big help this month and we're almost done!" The Brit sighed and gave a small, nervous smile, "I'll try, Miss Eliza, I'll try."

"Good! Now let's go finish up those decorations and get something to drink." She stood up and held a hand out to the man, who took it and let the woman pull him away. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "No chance, no way, I won't say it no, no!  
> It's too cliche  
> I won't say I'm in love!"


	8. Chapter 8

Friday morning of the festival was the most exciting time for both the town and the palace.  Weeks of hard work were now being paid off with a day full of food, fun and entertainment that everyone's been talking about all month. Dressed in a long sleeve shirt, vest, a scars, as well as his earrings, Oliver was waiting outside for the prince to get ready. The weather today was perfect with a cool breeze that brought in some clouds - Julianne was talking about how their might be rain soon. Soon, Gilbert came out dressed in similar way with a coat that had the Beilschmidt family crest on the front. Since the talk with Elizaveta, the Brit was trying to figure out how to approach the prince about his feelings but for now, he didn't want to ruin the good mood - especially not today. 

"What took you so long? I was starting to think you were going to ditch today." 

A scoff came from the crow, "Are you kidding? And miss the chance on getting a large pint of beer? No way! My mother was just talking to me to make sure I dressed comfortably and to let me know they'll be arriving later with the twins. She also said for us to have fun."

Oliver smiled, loving how motherly the queen was, "How nice of her. I told her I would keep you out of trouble and make sure you behaved yourself!"

"Hey! I always behave! Haven't I behaved all month?" Gilbert asked as they got into the carriage that was waiting for them.

The lovebird chuckled and nodded as he sat inside, "Yes, you have and I am very proud of you for how helpful you've been with the townsfolk."

Chuckling, the crow folded his arms,"I owe it to my favorite teacher of course." He winked at him, making Oliver blush and look away as the carriage began to move. He looked away and tried not to let his nerves how much that mean to him. It made him very happy to hear that because it showed that his personal work has paid off on the prince."You're not avoiding me anymore, that's good. I was afraid I would never get to talk to you comfortably. " The white haired man replied, smiling at the younger male across from him, chuckling as he saw that cute blush get darker.

"I...just had a lot on my mind, that's all. You were enjoying your time outside and I didn't want to bother you with my silly problems."

The Prussian raised an eyebrow, "I wouldn't think any of your problems are silly. You deal with me all the time so I'm pretty sure on little concern isn't going to bother me, Olive. It's nothing serious,is it?"

Oliver shook his head, "No, no! Of course not!" He saw the concern in the other man's red eyes and gave a slightly nervous smile, "Gil, really! Don't look so concerned! Today is suppose to be a fun day, so no sad faces okay? I might perform tonight and I want you to be there to see!"

"You can sing?"

"No, but I can play the violin and I may have slipped that out when I was with Elizaveta. We were with a group of women who were discussing whose going to perform during the day and I said something about how I can play a few instruments. So, yea, they're excited to hear me play now." The love bird chuckled, fixing his scarf.

Gilbert smiled brightly, "I will definitely have to be there to listen then. What other talents to do have that I don't know about?" He asked, half joking and half curious about his little teacher with the cute pink blush. For the rest of the ride to town, the two of them were quiet with both of them smiling the whole time. Oliver was having a hard time looking at the other man without blushing and he really had to get his confession out sometime today.   _Let's see how this plays out..._

 

* * *

The small town was bustling with excitement with music playing by a local band, children running and playing, adults enjoying numerous of conversations. Most shops were closed besides the main large one that sold the food and supplies to the people. They had the fresh picked vegetables and seasonal fruit out, all being sold as reasonable prices for everyone. A few booths had games and sweets being sold for everyone while the large gathering tent had groups of people talking with pints of beer. The beer caught Gilbert's attention and when they got out of the carriage he patted Oliver's shoulder. "Alright, if you need me, I will be drowning myself in a large pint of heaven."

The Brit rolled his eyes, "Go on,go on. Just be have yourself, Gilbert!" The prince agreed and made his way towards the local pub that was giving out the beer. He sighed and watched the taller man run off like an excited child before his attention was drawn to Elizaveta who tapped his shoulder. "Good day, Miss Eliza!"

"Good day, Oliver, how are you enjoying the festival so far?" She asked, fixing the collar of her navy blue dress that complimented her wings and hair. "Did you manage to talk to you 'someone'?"

He sighed softly, "No, I keep putting it off. Every time I think i could talk to him about it, I can't speak up and something else comes out of my mouth."Elizaveta sighed and smiled, patting his shoulder, "That's fine, love. It's normal and you're still trying to figure everything out." She took the lovebird's hand and smiled, "For now, let's have some fun, shall we? I don't want to see any sad faces today, especially not on yours!"

Oliver chuckled and nodded, "Sounds good to me, Miss Eliza. Lead the way!"

The two of then indulged in everything the festival had to offer. They walked around viewing the art that was displayed, tried some of the snack foods being served, tried out a few games and even joined a group of kids on a hay ride around the farms.  Back home, Oliver never had such a festival like this besides the small one that happened in the Spring time so this was definitely fun and enjoyable. After the hay ride, the kids that joined them followed the two adults around, calling Oliver 'big brother' until their mothers called them away. By sundown, everyone gathered in the large tent to get dinner - which included pork dishes, steamed veggies, fresh bread rolls, and other steaming sides. There was also a large table of all desserts which a lot of kids kept eyeing because of how pretty everything looked. Oliver joined in line to get his own plate, hearing his belly growl from the smell of warm food - walking around the town and having fun makes you quite hungry. Getting a plate full of foods and a mug of something warm that smelled like pumpkin pie, the lovebird walked to the tables, trying to find a place to sit. 

"Hey, Olive!" Gilbert waved and whistled at the Brit for him to come sit with his group. 

"Thank you, Gilbert."

Oliver smiled brightly and sat down next to the prince and began to eat. The warm food felt wonderful on his stomach and he tried not to devour his meal too fast. Despite enjoying his time sitting beside the other man, the crow wasn't really focused much on him - he was laughing and talking to a group of guys he became friends with. It didn't bother him because the Brit was glad his pupil was interacting with the townsfolk and not snapping at them like they're less than dirt.  The lovebird hummed an enjoyed his meal with his friend until a group of women came over to talk to the prince. At first, it didn't bother Oliver until they started to flirt with just Gilbert - none of the other men or even him - just Gilbert. Oliver has never felt jealousy before until now and it made him scowl as he listened to the women before he finished the rest of his food then stood up, wanting to get away from the giggling of the women.  Gilbert was so involved with talking to them that he didn't even noticed the  pink haired man leaving.  Heading towards the opening of the tent to get some fresh air, the lovebird was tackled by two small bodies hugging him.

"Ollie! We found you!" It was the twins and Luise spoke first. " We just got back from the hay ride!"

Ludwig then spoke, "We also got to see the horses too! There was one that was bigger than the carriage!"

Seeing the twins smiling made the Brit made him happy and forget his current troubles. "I'm glad you guys are having fun. Did you eat yet?"

Luise shook her head, "Nein! We're waiting for mutti to take us!"

Oliver smiled more and looked up to see the royal parents appear with a few guards. He quickly bowed once the king and queen were announced, making everyone stand up and bow.The twins said their goodbyes and went to join their parents - he then headed out of the tent but was pulled back in by a group of women. "Come on, Oliver! Not is the perfect time to play the violin since the king and queen are here!"

"Wait what? I'm not ready...!" Too late,he was being pulled through the crowd until he was up on stage. Being handed a violin, everyone was clapping for the Brit but his nervous eyes were locked on the prince - who was still talking to those women. He took a deep breath, the lovebird began to play a happy tune with the band joining in until they had dancing tune. Everyone quickly looked up to listen and cheer for him, but what made Oliver happy was Gilbert looking up at him now. He looked surprised and listened with a happy smile, clapping excitedly once the Brit ended the song. 

Bowing, Oliver smiled and thanked everyone then stepped down, handing the violin back. Now he headed outside into the cool night air, taking in a deep breath as he walked away from the tent. His hands were shaky from the excitement and nervousness but he felt good for performing in front of everyone.

"Oliver?"

 The Prussian's voice made him jump as he quickly looked at Gilbert, "Y-Yes?'

"That was amazing! You played beautifully and I've never heard the violin being played so well." The crow replied, smiling brightly."Thank you Gilbert. That means a lot to me...I..I think I'm going to head back home now."

Gilbert blinked then wrapped an arm around the smaller man's shoulder, "Alright,I'll walk with you. It can get dangerous walking up the hill at night." Oliver welcomed it but his cheeks were dark pink with a permanent blush. The two of them headed out of the town and were now on the quiet trail leading up to their home - the Brit was trying to figure out his words. They were alone and this was the perfect time to talk to him, otherwise he'll never talk Gilbert about.

"Umm...Gil? I need to talk to you about something..it's kind of important...."

The crow looked down at him, "Sure, what's up? Did you have fun today?"

Oliver nodded, "yes, I had fun...and well..." He stopped walking and faced the Prussian,here goes nothing, "Well, lately, we've gotten much closer this month than when we first started out. From being at each others necks to being good friends now...can you believe it's only been three months that all these changes happened?" A deep chuckle came from the crow, "Anyways, it's been really great actually..." feeling his cheeks burn, Oliver looked off to the side, "Gilbert, I've fallen in love with you...I know it seems so sudden but I've never grown so attached to anyone like this. It know it might seem silly but I'm not lying about any of this..." He lowered his head, scared about how the older man was going to take the news. 

It was quiet for a moment, with a nice breeze coming through, "Do you honestly feel that way?"

"Y-Yes..."

Gilbert sighed and leaned in to gently kiss Oliver, "Good, then my own feelings will be returned the same way." 

The answer was definitely not the one he was expecting and surely not the kiss. Oliver's blue eyes stared up at the prince, "What...? what do you mean?"

"I mean, i love you too but and I'm glad we're both on the same level here. I'm also glad you said it first because I am seriously not good at approaching people about how I feel unless it's something negative." The prince mumbled, a light blush creeping on his cheeks. "So, are you okay being loved by someone like me?"

The prince's confession made his nervous calm down but now the lovebird's heart was beating fast to know the fact because the older man felt the same way. He didn't care about titles, looking more into the person's attitude than their titles. Oliver smiled brightly and jumped into a kiss, making the prince laugh and return the kiss, "Yes! Yes! I am!" Happiness and relief swept through the Brit as the two of them shared a long sweet kiss under the moonlight. "You really mean that, Gilbert?"

"Of course. You're cute, you have a good personality, and i admit, I'll be pretty lost without you on my ass about things." 

Oliver giggled and smiled brightly, "I think you're quite handsome yourself, Gil, and you finally admit you need me."he teased then gasped when the crow swept him up off his feet, stretched out his black wings then took off flying back home to save time. He clung to the prince tightly until Gilbert landed on the small balcony of his bedroom - the window was open and Oliver noticed that he was in Gilbert's bedroom not his own. "Gilbert?"

Blushing, the prince smiled and took off his coat, "If it's okay with you...I want to spend the night with you. We don't have to do anything tonight but I want to hold you...it will help remind me that this is real and you actually said 'yes' to me."

The Brit smiled sweetly, "I don't mind cuddling with you tonight,Gilbert. "Gilbert took Oliver's hand and headed inside, kicking off his shoes and stripping down to his shirt and pants. The Brit did the same, keeping his socks on as well - then the both crawled onto the bed. Oliver was quickly pulled close to the warm crow, being curled up closer with a black wing covering him. It made him happy cuddled close to the man he fell in love with - it made him even happier that his confession went totally different than what he expected.

Nuzzling into the Prussian's chest, the lovebird hummed softly, "I love you..."

"I love you too,Olive. Get some sleep now."

"Okay...~"


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh this one's a bit long but it's worth it! :D

The next morning, it felt good for Oliver when he woke up in Gilbert's arms. At first, he thought it was all a dream, but there he was in the prince's arms as the crow still continued to sleep. A weight has been lifted off the Brit's shoulders and he was relieved that he got a good response instead of rejection from the other man. Waking up with a yawn, the Prussian shifted then looked at the lovebird, "Morning..." he mumbled, nuzzling Oliver as he tried to wake himself up more. The Brit nuzzled back then kissed him gently on the cheek, "Good morning, Gilbert. Did you sleep well?"

"Ja...slept better then I have in awhile, that's for sure. I guess it's because I had such a cute bird to cuddle with last night." He smiled and winked at Oliver, chuckling when he saw a small pink blush appear on the other's cheeks. "My little loved bird....I quite like the sound of that. It rolls off the tongue quite nicely..." Sitting up, the prince stretched all six of his limbs, wincing when he heard a cracks in a few places, then curled his wings back in. Oliver sat up and did,blushing when Gilbert nuzzled one of his blue wings, "Enjoying yourself there?" Another chuckled rose from the other man. "Hey, now that we're...together...does that give me privilege to ask you something a little personal?"

The crow raised an eyebrow at him, "Sure, but what stopped you from asking before?"

"I wanted to wait until we're comfortable talking to each other without yelling at each other...I just want to know,,what turned you against the common folk and maids? You worked with everyone so well this month and it was like you never had such an attitude with them."

At first, the crow was quiet and Oliver felt like he hit a nail, then prince began to speak after a heavy sigh, "Well...like my mother said, I wasn't always mean. Back when I was a young teen in school, I met a young maid named Emily who was about 2 years older than me. She cleaned my room, always smiled sweetly at me, and personally worked for me - I admit, she was beautiful and I fell for her. One day, Emily introduced me to the servants that worked in the school and it was fun - they had parties in the servant's quarters during the holidays when the students were gone. I tried my first pint of beer, enjoyed the music, and had many sloppy make outs with her each time we were together; the people were really nice too, just like the ones in town." Gilbert leaned back against the bed post, "Heh, she was also amazing in bed and I lost my virginity to her. But after a few months of this, she broke my trust when I told her that I couldn't bring her back home like I first promised. Emily began to spread rumors about me about how I was abusive and tried to get her into bed every night. Thinking I had support from the older servants, they turned against me real quick and believed that woman's lies - I was pissed off and hurt from the betrayal after all that. My anger for that maid eventually turned to hate when I caught a stable boy trying to steal a few horses from the stable and I vowed to never trust a servant or any townsfolk again."

"Gilbert...you were angry because of the betrayal." The lovebird replied, rubbing his love's arm."

"I know, but I realize now it got way out of hand, Oliver. It should of been something I left in the past as I got older but that anger and hate just lingered further into my adult years. I just kept telling myself that everyone who wasn't of royalty or nobility were all the same as that maid - it's why I was such an ass to you at first. I ended believing my owns lies..." He gave a dry scoff, "I'm such a fucking idiot...perhaps I needed your teachings a long ass time ago, Olive."

Oliver sighed and shrugged, "Perhaps, but you've proven to be an excellent student these past few months, Gilbert. You went from being a huge arse to a not so mean jerk. "he giggled and smiled brightly, wanting to lighten the mood now.

The Prussian pouted, "Oi! Who are you calling a jerk?" With that, he playfully tackled the Brit down, attacking his face and neck with kisses. Giggling, the lovebird wiggled and returned a few kisses back, trying to stop his attacking prince. A few more kisses, with the last one one the lips,  Gilbert pulled back and hummed, "I can get use to that cute giggle of yours." 

Returning the smile, Oliver smiled and placed his hands on his love's chest, feeling how warm it was, "My crow~"

"My little lovebird~" The prince leaned down and kissed his love deeply,but growled when a knock at the door interrupted them.  It was the morning maid who usually comes to announce that breakfast was ready and cleans up once he was out of the room. "Looks like it's time for us to get up now." He snorted, pulling away from his little lover and standing up. "Go back to your room and clean up, Olichen, you hair sticking up."

Oliver, who was standing up as well, patted his wild pink locks down, "Alright...thank you for letting me stay the night, Gilbert. It was very sweet of you." He picked up his clothes that he stripped off then kissed the crow's cheek before heading out. The prince was nothing but all smiles as he watched his lovebird slip out of the bedroom and down the hallway.

* * *

For the rest of of November and into early December, the two men hid their relationship from people- mainly, from the kind and queen. The maids instantly knew about the two men and whispered about them among each other but kept hushed whenever the royal parents were around. As welcoming and nice they were, the king and queen still kept to certain traditions which included keeping the old ways of royalty. Traditional values were important in a royal family to secure the future - it didn't stop the two lovers and they were slightly afraid of how the parents would react. On the outside, they kept a professional relationship of teacher and student; but behind closed doors, the two men were close to each other and kissing. It was all sweet fluff for now until they took it to the next level. Since they worked all November, their morning meets were cut short to just an hour each morning. It was getting colder outside and there were preparations being made for the Christmas dinner the family had with other family members and invited guests. When he wasn't busy, Oliver would go into town and shop for Christmas gifts for his family as well enjoy what everyone had to offer - the fresh gingerbread was definitely a plus to his visits. One day, the twins came running down the hall and into the library to find the love bird reading on the couch with a cup of tea; their nursemaid apologize for the intrusion and he disregarded it.

"Ollie! It's snowing! Come outside and look!" Luise spoke then Ludwig, "Miss Rose is going to take us outside but we want you to come with us!"

"Oh? I was wondering when that was going to happen...okay, let me get my coat and I'll meet you guys out there." The twins agreed then dragged their poor nursemaid out as Oliver closed is book and stood up. He headed to his room, grabbing his coat and heading down the stairs as Gilbert came out of his room. He was about to call out to his teacher before a maid came and curtsied to him, "Sorry to bother you, your highness, but you have visitors waiting for you in the parlor."

"Visitors? Danke, I'll be there in a sec." The crow replied, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion as he headed to the parlor downstairs. Who could be visited this sudden? His face dropped when he saw his friends, Antonio and Francis, both relaxed in the room. They had drinks in hand and were both casually talking to each other until they saw the Prussian come in.

Francis was the first to acknowledge him,"Ahh! Mon ami! It's been awhile since our last meet! How are you?" 

A scowl grew on the Prussian's face, "I thought I told you guys to let me know ahead of time before you decide to drop by like this! What the hell do you want?"

Antonio chuckled, "Easy,Gilbert. It's the seasons of warm welcomes and we wanted to visit you since we haven't heard about your days here since August. Of course, we both been busy ourselves until now. How's things with that pink burden of yours? Is he still being a pain the ass?"

Sitting down, Gilbert shook his head, "Nein. He actually turned out to be not so bad I thought he would be. The lessons are easy to follow, he respectful, and this past month made me work alongside everyone for the harvest festival."

"Wait,seriously? He made you do work for _him_? I've seen the Brit - he's cute but way too prudish for my taste." Francis waved a hand, "I'm surprised you haven't ditched him or tried to at least fuck him to loosen up his attitude."

"Hey! Things change okay? And I am not going to do no such thing. I haven't standards unlike someone I know." The crow snapped, exchanging glares with the Frenchman before the Spaniard intervened. "Francis, maybe he did and he's not telling us."

The Prussian blushed and snapped more, "I didn't fuck him!" _No matter how much i want to_ , "Geez, what the hell is wrong with you two?"

Antonio snickered, "Easy there, Gil, we're just teasing you! No need to get so worked up!"

"You guys are fucking assholes, you know that?"Gilbert rolled his eyes, trying to calm himself down, last thing he needed was his friends to know his true feeling for Oliver - he'll never hear the end of it from them. The two friends decided to stay for dinner, joining the family but Oliver didn't; he didn't join them due to not feeling well and not wanting to get anyone else sick,just in case. As soon as his friends left, Gilbert headed upstairs to see if the Brit was okay - he knoched on the door and opened it when he heard 'come in'. Oliver was sitting on the floor, bundled in a blanket with a cup of tea with his pet rabbit munching on some lettuce on the floor by his feet."Good evening, Gilbert. Did you enjoy your visiting friends?"

"Yea, but I got worried when I didn't see you at dinner. Is everything alright? Are you okay?" The crow asked worriedly, sitting down beside the lovebird and looking at the white rabbit. It glanced at him for a moment then went back to eating.

Oliver chuckled, "I didn't want to anyone getting sick in case I was sick. During the winter time, I get colds really fast and I didn't want to risk it. It also didn't help that your siblings wanted to start a snowball fight outside." At that, the Prussian put a hand on his boyfriend's forehead to check his temperature, "You're a little warmer than usual...shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Gilbert, really, I'm fine!  I just have to finish this tea and get some sleep then I'll be good as new in the morning."The Brit smiled and blushed a seeing how worried the prince was. He stood up, letting the blanket fall off, revealing his pajamas of just an over-sized shirt and boxers.He knelt down and picked up his pet then went to put her back in her cage on his dresser. Seeing the sight and the lovebird's slender legs, made Gilbert bite his bottom lip; he wanted the other man badly, but refused to make a move - the last thing he wanted was to have Oliver hate him or refuse to touch him. Instead, he stood up, closed the door, then hugged his little bird from behind, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. "Be careful, okay? I'll be very worried nonstop until you get better." He kissed the smaller male's neck gently,smiling when he heard a small giggle come out.

"Is that so? The great Gilbert Beilschmidt worried to death over a cold. I'll have to be extra careful not to make him so distraught over that then." A hum came from the Brit as he closed the cage and turned to face the crow. Gilbert rolled his eyes and leaned in to kiss him, "I have a way to get rid of that fever real quick. But you have to agree to it first before I help you." Seeing those red eyes getting hazy with want, Oliver blushed knowing exactly what the prince was talking about. "G-Gilbert...."

The Prussian pulled the smaller male closer to him, "I want you, Oliver. But I promised myself not to take things farther until you let me...I'm craving your body and I've seen you watching me. You want me as much as I want you."

Oliver blushed and looked off to the side with a small pout, "I don't know...I want to but...it's been awhile since I've done it."

"If you give me consent, I'll take things slow and if I am hurting you, I'll stop immediately once you say something. But like I said, I can't and won't do anything unless you let me, Oliver."

There was silence from the lovebird until he smile and looked up at his love, "Alright..."

Gilbert blinked, "Wait,really?"

"Heh, yes Gi-" He couldn't finish his answer before Gilbert captured his lips in a deep kiss, pulling him closer until their bodies were pressed against each other. It wasn't long before the Prussian deepened the kiss, purring when he heard a small moan come from the Brit. The kiss lingered on for a few minutes before they pulled back to catch their breath, smiling at each other. Gilbert swiftly picked up the smaller male and walked over to the bed, gently laid him on the bed, "Your cheeks are as pink as your hair...it's really cute~" Oliver blushed more and looked off to the side, "Oh hush..."

Chuckling, the prince began to kiss his lover again with the same tensity and passion as the first kiss. In return, the Brit kissed back, wrapping his arms around Gilbert's shoulders. Taking control of the kiss, Gilbert pressed his body onto the smaller male, grinding into him gently as they made out on the bed. Soon, he moved his kiss down the Brit's neck and collarbone, receiving a small gasp from Oliver. Feeling the smaller man's hands running down his chest made Gilbert shiver, liking how shy the gesture was. The Prussian nuzzled the other and began to undo the buttons of the over-sized shirt,leaning back to see the smaller body once it was open. "Beautiful..."

Oliver smiled and rubbed his cheek, "Do you really think so...?"

"Mhmm. It's beautiful and I love every inch of it." The white haired man hummed, leaning back down to kiss Oliver's chest then moved to suckle on one of the little nipples. He suckled more when he heard a moan come from the smaller male, moving his hand up to play with the other nipple. slightly squirming, Oliver shivered and whimpered at the warm heat on his chest, chewing on a finger as he watched the other. More whimpers came when Gilbert's mouth went lower,pressing kisses down his belly and waist before the prince pulled back to strip off his own shirt. Recovering from the sudden ticklish feeling, the Brit gazed at his boyfriend - with a lean, muscular body, the man was gorgeous and all his. The two of them went back to another deep kiss, this time, Gilbert began to grind into the other male, causing warm friction in between their groins. Oliver groaned softly, returning the grinds as they made out. The prince then stopped and pulled away from his lover, "Stay there. I need something." He sneaked out of the room, glad that the halls were darkened now,left to his room, then came back,locking the door behind him. He then waved a small, purple vial as he climbed back into the bed, "I needed this." 

He raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"It's an oil to help us."

Gilbert kissed him then undid his own trousers, slipping them off but keeping his boxers on. "Ready for more?" 

Looking at him, the pink Brit nodded, "Y-Yes..."

"Remember; if I do anything you don't like, tell me,okay? I'll stop immediately."

"I will,Gilbert." Oliver leaned up to kiss the crow before he laid back, letting the larger man lean down to press a kiss to one of his hips. Slowly, Gilbert pulled off his boxers, revealing the slightly hardened member of the Brit. He just smiled and wrapped a hand around the member, stroking it lightly which rewarded him with softly moans from his little love. As he did that, the prince leaned back up to his kiss him, feeling the Brit's body arch into the hand. So far, it was going good but Gilbert was still cautious, not wanting to harm Oliver. "G-Gilbert....nnngh,..i-if you keep doing that I'll climax before you can continue..." The smaller man groaned, putting his hands up onto his lover's shoulders. Gilbert just chuckled and stopped, "Yes, yes, you're right. We don't want that now do we?" He opened the purple vial, oiling up two of his fingers and moving them down to the Brit's anus, "Alright, keep relaxed okay? I'll start with one finger." He slowly slipped a finger into Oliver, watching the reactions and watching for any major discomfort.

Oliver instantly flinched as he felt the finger,"Mmf..."he bite his bottom lip then sighed softly, relaxing for the other. The finger slipped in farther then began to move, making the lovebird gasped and squirm slightly. A second finger was slowly added, making Oliver moan and wince, curling his fingers on Gilbert's arm as the fingers moved inside him - slow at first, but eventually getting faster as he got use to him. A steady pace grew with the fingers and he was getting use to the feel of the prince's fingers - soon, a sudden thrust of the fingers sent an ecstatic shock through Oliver's body, making him jerk his body up. "A-Ahh...!!" 

The sound pleased the crow as he slowly pulled the fingers out,"You're ready...~" The moan made his own cock hard and throb, aching for it's own attention now. He stripped off the rest of his clothing, sighing in relief when the constriction of his boxers was off his throbbing length. Gilbert saw Oliver's blue eyes widen and stare at his length, making him chuckle, "Like what you see? That's all god given there,love, and it's all yours." He laughed when the Brit looked away, his face getting redder than ever now.The prince kissed his blushing boyfriend then moved to position himself near Oliver's ass, then grabbed his vial and put a generous amount of oil on his cock. He then closed it, tossed it to the side and looked at Oliver, "Ready? I'm going slow."

"Ready..." The Brit whispered, relaxing and preparing himself for his lover. Gilbert slowly pushed himself into the Brit,watching as the smaller male winced at the pain, it made him worried, "Are you alright? Do you want me to stop?" Oliver shook his head, "N-No..like I said, it's been awhile...just keep going..." Hesitating for a moment, the prince began to push into his lover more, groaning as tight heat surrounded his member until he was full inside Oliver. His heart beat was pounding at the fact that he was inside Oliver - the dreams he's had of wanting the Brit were finally coming true now and he loved it. "Gil? You may move now...." The softly English accent brought the Prussian back to reality and he quickly smiled, "Yes, sir." He slowly pulled back just enough for his member to still be in the other man then pushed back into him, receiving a gasp from Oliver. Gilbert began a slow steady pace of thrusts into the Brit, enjoying the small whimpers and moans that came from him. His own groans came because of the warm tightness on his cock as he moved and seeing the blushing Brit's face please him. After the steady pace, Gilbert tested the waters and moved faster, making Oliver yelped and moan louder before he held a hand to his mouth. "Hehe....don't hold them back, love. I want to hear every little sound you have~"

Oliver groaned and panted as he was fucked,moving his hands up to hold tightly onto Gilbert, "I-I don't want anyone to hear...!" He felt the other man's length move inside him and felt how deep it went inside him. The Brit loved it and his body was twitching with excitement - he even rolled his hips a few times along with the thrusts, making Gilbert moan. Eventually, the thrusts got faster and their bodies were pressed up against each other. Gilbert managed to hold the Brit with one arm and stroke his member with the other hand, wanting to the other to be fully pleased. The added pleasure made Oliver groaned and tighten around the other male, "Gilbert..! A-Ahh..I-i'm getting closer..hnngh..!"

"S-Same...come on, babe, I want you to cum..."Gilbert purred,kissing Oliver's neck as the Brit bounced on his member. A few more deep thrusts and more strokes, the lovebird screamed out in pleasure, climaxing into his lover's hand. The reaction made him thrust into the smaller male deeply and climax inside of him,"Fuck..a-ahh,..!" He remained inside the Brit until he was done before pulling out and flopped back on the bed, smiling when Oliver laid on top of him, "That was...good..hehe..." That earned him a small giggle from the smaller male.

Laying in bed and letting the after sex high die down, the two men cuddled close together. Oliver nuzzled into Gilbert's chest, feeling his body still twitching from the love making, "I can't believe we just did that..I feel a bit naughty for doing that but,it felt amazing."

"Hehe..you're now my _naughty_ little lovebird."

The Brit giggled more and relaxed, "We're officially lovers now...you're mine and I'm yours..." He closed his eyes and hummed when the prince pet his hair as well as curl a wing around him.

"Yea...I just hate having to hide this for now. I want to show you off to everyone as my lover, not just my teacher..." The crow replied, yawning and relaxing as well.

"I know..but I rather have this then being away from you by force."

A deep chuckle rumbled in the crow's chest, "Same, I love it all the same." He pulled the blankets over them and kissed Oliver, "Get some sleep now,Olichen."

"Okay...goodnight..~"

"Goodnight,Oliver."

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, Oliver woke up to Gilbert already awake and sitting on the side of the bed. He already had his pants on as he stretched out his black wings before noticing the Brit awake now. "Good morning, Olichen. How do you feel?" He scooted over to gently pet the wild pink fluff of hair on the love bird's head.

Sitting up, Oliver winced when pain shot down to his lower back and butt, "Just wonderful. But I think my hips and butt are going to be sore for the day."

The prince laughed at that, leaning over to kiss his little love, "It just shows you had a fun night." He winked at him then pulled away, giving Oliver room to sit up and stretch his up body and wings. Soon, the two men got up and began to slip on their clothing from yesterday back on - though, the lovebird didn't put on his pants back on just yet since he felt sticky and had to wash up.

"Don't forget to wash up, Ollie. You smell like sex."

"Gee thanks...don't forget either!" He replied, nudging the crow in the side with an elbow as he chuckled. Before turning to head to the bathroom, Gilbert pulled him in for a kiss, letting this one linger a bit."Thank you for the letting me stay the night. It was fun~"

Oliver blushed and smiled, "You're welcome,Gilbert. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Alright, see you later." The Prussian gave his little love one more kiss before sneaking out of the room for the morning time. Chuckling, the Brit shook his head then went to clean himself up and get dressed. 

Taking breakfast in his room, Oliver sat down enjoying a warm cup of tea and bacon, watching his rabbit nibble on a piece of fruit. A maid knocked on the open door and handed him a letter, saying it was important that he read it. When she left, he did so and smiled brightly when he read it - his brother, Arthur, was coming to pick him up for the holidays and will be here in the morning. With Christmas was just around the corner, the Lovebird was excited to go home and see his own family again, knowing they're probably missing him dearly. Heading out of the room, the Brit ran down to find Gilbert sitting by a warm fire, reading the morning paper when he came running in. "Gilbert!  Guess what? My brother is coming to pick me up tomorrow!"

That made the crow frown as he looked up, "You're leaving?"

"Mhmm. Your father said I can go home to see the family during the holidays when I agreed to come and teach you. I'll be leaving tomorrow and will be back after New Years." 

Gilbert sat his paper down and leaned forward - he personally didn't want the Brit to leave; he's gotten so use to having him around, it would feel odd not seeing him. Though, Oliver has to his own family some time, "I thought you were staying for the Christmas party here? You're not excluded from that you know."

Smiling, the Brit hummed, "I know and I would love to stay for it,Gilbert. But I missed my mum and dad - I'm sure they miss me and it would be nice to see them again." He saw that worry in the prince's face, "Gil, love, I'll be back....two weeks and I'll be back here at the palace before you know it - it will go by fast, I promise!"

The crow just pouted, "It's going to be a long and very boring two weeks then..." He didn't want his little lovebird to leave but knew the other man had to see his own family for the holidays. "Welp, in that case, come with me, "Gilbert stood up and gestured Oliver to follow, heading out to the grand hall where the large Christmas tree was at - it was brightly decorated and already had gifts placed neatly under it.  Going over to the tree, he picked up a small box that had a large red bow on it and handed it to the other man."There's other gifts down here for you that are from my parents, but this one is personally from me...I want you to open it now..."

Looking at the prince then at the gift, Oliver took it and opened it - it was a new, iron cross like the one that the prince always wore, with a long silver chain;on the back it had his initials engraved on the back and a tiny heart. "Oh Gilbert...this is beautiful...!" he quickly slipped it on,looking at the necklace then up at the crow, "I'll take good care of it and never taking it off!" 

"Hehe, good. That makes me happy to know that," the prince leaned in and kissed Oliver on the forehead, "it's proof of my love for you and to show any jerk back home that you're taken, just in case they try to flirt with you." Oliver snorted and giggled at that. "Come on, I'll help you pack up and prepare for your departure tomorrow."

"Okay~" 

The rest of the day was spent slowly packing and making sure Oliver had all of his things. That evening,the whole family gathered for one last meal with their guest for the year; which included a special dessert of black forest cake. The lovebird was also given his early Christmas presents from the rest of the family - a pair of earrings from Julianne, a leather bound journal from Alberich, and two pictures drawn by the twins. He almost felt like crying at his gifts;the Beilschmidt family had welcomed him into their home and by now, he felt like he was part of the family. That night, Oliver sneaked into Gilbert's room this time and the two of them made love once more,making this night more passionate than the one before.  The prince wanted to make sure his love didn't forget about him and his naughtiness in the bedroom. Cuddling afterwards, Oliver nuzzled into his lover's chest, "I'm going to miss cuddling with you until I get back..."

"I know...but I promise, when you get back, you're not going to leave this room without a few hickeys and bites everywhere." The crow chuckled,petting the pink hair he grew to love. 

"Will you be have when I'm gone?" 

Gilbert smirked, "Probably not." He chuckled at the cute pout his lover gave him, leaning in to kiss him, "I'm kidding. I'll be have, I promise."

"You better..." He mumbled, relaxing against the Prussian. 

After a goodnight's sleep and a good breakfast the next morning, Oliver went through his things to make sure he head everything. Afterwards, he gathered with the royal family in the hall entrance where they met him on the day he first arrived - now they were there to watch him go on the day he was going to depart for the rest of the year. By 9 am, a blond man with bright green eyes, dark brows, and dark green wings came walking into the palace. He bowed tot he king and queen, then spoke, "Good morning, Your Majesties, I'm Arthur and I'm here to pick up my brother."

Alberich spoke first, "Arthur, you're a splitting image of your father! My god, seeing you guys are starting to make me feel old!" The king chuckled and smiled, "It was a pleasure having Oliver staying with us;he did his job well and made the palace a much more happier place." That made Oliver hold his head up and smile proudly.

"That's good. I was hoping he wasn't too much trouble for any of you, he could get out of hand sometimes." The blond man replied, still keeping his formalities. 

Julianne shook her head, "Oh of course not! He was a delight to have around!" She then turned to the lovebird, fixing his coat like any mother would do, "You take care of yourself, dear, and have a good Christmas with the family. We'll see you after new years, correct?"

"Mhm, and I will. Thank you for having me these past few months, it was enjoyable." Oliver replied, getting hugs from the twins, "You two behave. Don't get on your brother's nerves too much,okay?"

"We won't..." Ludwig mumbled, "You better come back,Ollie! You promise to play in the garden with us when you returned!" Luise replied, pulling away with her twin brother so the Brit can go. 

Gilbert stepped up and cleared his throat, "I'll walk you to the carriage." Oliver smiled and headed out, waving good bye to the rest of the Beilschmidt family. When they were outside, the cool air blew and there was signs that it was going to snow again. Arthur got into the carriage first and before he could, Oliver turned to face his love, "Behave, Gilbert. I don't want to come back to hear that you've been a jerk to people,okay?"

The prince scoffed, "I'll behave, don't worry." He gently pet the Brit's soft, pink locks, "Be safe,Olichen."

"I will,Gilbert." Being careful under his brother's watchful eye, the little lovebird hugged his love and quietly whispered, 'I love you',in Gilbert's ear. The crow hummed, returned the hug and whispering back, 'ich liebe dich auch, mein wellensittich'. They almost didn't want to pull away from each other but had to, letting Oliver step in the carriage - he waved to the Prussian once more before shutting the door and knocking on it to let the driver know they were ready. The white haired man watched as the carriage left his home, sighing softly, "Auf wiedersehen, Oliver..."

* * *

 On the way home, Oliver was quiet,thinking about Gilbert as he looked out the window. It began to snow again so it was harder to see anything but he did it to pass the time. His brother looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong with you? You're unusually quiet."

"Oh! Nothing! I was just thinking about a few things. Mostly about the prince and certain decisions."

Arthur folded his arms, "Why are you continuously thinking of that brute? Isn't he some rude man like I've heard?"

The lovebird smiled and shook his head, "Not anymore. He turned out to be a very sweet man whose just a little misunderstood. We talked and he eventually loosened up to everything."

"Sounds like you two have done more than just talk." The blond Brit scoffed, making his little brother blush. "Point taken. I don't care what you do with that prince; it's your business. This might just be a fling so I'm not going to stop it."

"how do you k bow that?"

"Really,Okay? Think about it; he's a prince and eventually will have to marry someone of noble birth to secure the future generations. You're not of noble birth and you definitely can't produce any kids - and you're too good to be some king's fuck buddy on the side." Arthur's words were harsh but he knew what he was saying;he's seen it before it with other royals and previous ones before them.

Oliver bite his bottom lip, feeling his eyes sting, "You're wrong,Arthur. Gilbert loves me and he's not going to just jump into marriage so soon - he has plans for others things before he even thinks about marrying anyone. Just because other royals have done it doesn't mean he'll do it."

Arthur waved a hand, "Whatever you say, Oliver. it's going to happen someday if not soon."

"You're just jealous because I have someone who loves and you can't get anyone to like you. Not with that stick up your arse." The pink Brit mumbled, folding his arms defiantly. it made his brother scowl more and snap, "Oi! You keep your blood mouth shut about my own love life! I don't need you to judge me on my personal life!"

"Then don't judge me on mine, you over sized pigeon!" 

The two brothers ended up in a ridiculous argument; calling each other names and trying to aggravate the other until Oliver finally hushed up. For the remainder of the trip, the two of them were silent with the lovebird chewing on his bottom lip. _Gilbert loves me...I don't need Arthur or anyone to tell me that he doesn't..._

* * *

 The next coming week until Christmas day was a very boring week for the prince. Since he didn't have morning lessons with Oliver anymore, he had to find other was to spend his time on. He took up an old hobby of his - wood carving small things with a knife. He didn't really make anything significantly but it helped pass the time before his meals or before he decided to go read in the library. The crow's dreams weren't full of sugarplums and sweets - instead, they were full of thoughts about Oliver - from the Brit smiling happily with him to him writhing in pleasure in bed. _Damn, I am a fool in love,_ Gilbert thought, realizing how much he really loved his little teacher. By Christmas day, the Prussian was close to ditching the party but being part of the royal family, he had to attend the party. The morning started with a small breakfast and sitting by the fire place opening the gifts they all got - by the late afternoon, extended family and invited guests arrived for the annual Christmas ball that Julianne put together. After greeting aunts, uncles, cousins, and other guests, he was finally able to pull away from the crowds and stand off the side with a glass of wine. Soon, Roderich and Elizaveta came over to him, both were dressed in similar colors of red and gold.

"Gilbert, where's Oliver? I've been looking everywhere for him but there's no sign of him. Is he sick?" Elizaveta asked, looking slightly worry.

The prince shook his head, "Nein. He went back home to his own family for the holidays...he'll be back in January though."

His cousin fixed his glasses, "I was looking forward to a conversation with him too.Well, it's good that he's with family; a couple of months with you, Oliver deserves a break from you."

Gilbert frowned and rolled his eyes as he sipped his drink, "Jealous that I have more time with him,Roddy?" He snickered,only stopping when he was elbowed by the browned haired woman beside him.  "Ow! Chill, I'm just teasing!"

The three of them conversed with each other until the crowd of people directed their attention to new guests that had arrived. The people were questioning with words like 'why are they here?' and 'who invited them?', making Gilbert exchange glances with his companions before working his way through the crowd. He immediately stopped when he saw two people - a man and woman - standing there in the middle of the entrance. They both had silvery grey hair (with the woman having hers long and braided down her back), purple eyes, dressed in furs, and off white wings - with the woman having black spots freckled on her feathers. The prince knew exactly who they were - they were the Braginsky siblings and definitely weren't invited; at least, not to his knowledge.

"What are you two doing here? I thought you guys don't celebrate Christmas?" He replied, having and obvious distaste for them;but it was more directed towards Ivan,the brother of the two.

Ivan smiled and chuckled, "I was invited like everyone else because we have an offer to propose to you." He spoke in a thick, Russian accent  - Gilbert wanted to snap at him but Oliver's voice of 'behave' stopped him from that. Oliver wasn't here and he could easily snap at the Russian man but the Brit's lessons had their affect on him so he refrained from doing so.

"We're not here for any trouble, Prince Gilbert. We're here on a good occasion just like everyone else." The woman replied, having the same accented voice but her voice was softer than her brother's.

Alberich came walking over to them, "Gilbert, Lord Ivan,join me privately in the parlor. Let's not ruin this good evening with our talk." Reluctantly, Gilbert followed his father and Ivan out of the hall and into the privacy of the parlor while the sister went to join Julianne to casually talk. The moment the door was closed, he turned around and snapped, "What the hell are you doing here, Braginsky? I thought we agreed your family wouldn't come around here again."

"Yes, but that was when my father was alive and if you haven't gotten the word, he died last month due to health problems. So now, as his heir, I came to discuss something with you, if you're willing to listen." Ivan replied, pulling off his coat and setting down on a chair.

The crow grumbled and opened his mouth, bit closed it when his father held a hand up. "You may speak."

The Russian man nodded, "Thank you...now, as you both know, there was an agreement between my father and you of a treaty to end a beginning war before it got too out of hand 8 years ago.  Now that he's gone, the treaty is broken and I am here to set it back up but in a different way.  Something that will be easy for both of our families that can either bring prosperity for both our lands or turmoil. I know you rather not jump into another fight with my family since the last one caused too much damage for both sides. I rather not fight and I rather have has friends instead of enemies."

"And what is that?" Gilbert asked, folding his arms. He didn't trust the Braginsky family because they were known to twist agreements with others people for their own gain. Even meeting Ivan when they were teenagers, the Prussian always sensed something off about the larger male.

"I am here to propose marriage between my sister, Anya, and you."

That made Alberich blink in surprise and his son immediately declining, "Hell no! With all do respect, your sister is beautiful, but there's no way I am marrying any Braginsky!" The king grabbed his son's arm then looked at Ivan, "And what made you decide on this, Lord Ivan? I am completely fine with just reinstating the treaty your father and I have had for years now."

The silver haired man sat down now, "True, but since I'll be taking my father's place, it's up to me to make sure my sister marries into a respectable family. She's only a year younger than Gilbert and I, plus it will ensure that both our families will continue in the future with a strong tie between us."

Gilbert refused and if he was going to marry anyone, it would be Oliver. But something about this was a bit fishy and he had to find out what it was, "What's the catch here? Why can't you marry your sister to any other man?"

A smile came across the Russian's face, making things seem uneasy, "I think you should agree to this,Gilbert. There are things and _people_ , that are at stake here that I'm sure you don't want to lose."


	11. Chapter 11

When there was the emphasis of 'people', Gilbert growled and his glare at the Russian grew dark. The man could mean anyone by that - his family, his friends,,,his love... Ivan doesn't knows about his lovebird, can he? If anything happened to Oliver, the Prussian will be thrown into a fit of rage. Right now, he had to be careful with his words and his emotions right now. " Nein. I refuse your proposal. Go find some other man to marry your sister to."

Alberich stood up from his seat, "Gilbert, shut up and discuss this properly." He glanced at the Russian, "Lord Ivan, please excuse us while I talk this privately with my son. Enjoy yourself at the party." 

"Of course." Ivan nodded then walked of the parlor, shutting the door behind him but keeping by to listen.

Gilbert was quick to snap, "I don't trust that man! He's planning something, I just know it!:

"Calm down, Gilbert. Yelling about it won't do you any good. "The king replied, going over to get himself a drink from the mini bar. " Perhaps this will be good. We can finally get that damn treaty out of the way and perhaps reunite our countries."  Though, the king didn't sound too sure of that himself;the Braginsky family were known to do anything to gain power and respect.

His son scoffed, "As if..." Gilbert looked at his father and saw the man rub his chin - a sign that the older crow was thinking of something. "What are you planning?" 

"You're going to marry Anya. We'll set the wedding after your birthday next month so we have time to pre-"

"Fuck no! Nein! Nein! Nein! I am not marrying any Braginsky! Just reinstate the Treaty for the next 10 years and send them on their way!" If Gilbert married anyone, it was going to be Oliver and anyone else wouldn't be fair to his gentle lover.He would never be able to forgive himself if he betrayed the other man like that.

Alberich's icy blue eyes locked onto his stubborn son, "You're going to marry Lady Anya, but I also want you to keep your senses sharp. Understood?" The king was no fool - the death of the first Lord Braginsky was a little fishy since he knew the old owl was as healthy as a horse last time they spoke. Ivan's words made him suspicious but he didn't vocalize it like his son did; he remained calm.

The younger man wasn't happy about the decision but he had agree, "Ja, I understand."

What they didn't know, was the young Russian man who was listening in on their private conversation. He was pleased with what he heard and headed back to join his sister at the party. Anya was having a conversation with a group of women when Ivan whispered to her, "Be prepared to call yourself 'Mrs. Beilschmidt' in a month, dear sister." The woman smiled brightly at that,patting her brother's arm and returning to her conversation. Gilbert and his father returned to the party - with the prince putting on a fake smile for his guests. Deep down, he was loathing this sudden change in his afternoon and for the rest of the party, he was watching Ivan.

* * *

Upon the arriving home, Oliver barely got out of the carriage when his mother and very pregnant sister-in-law bombarded him. He was hugged and kissed, making the young lovebird smile brightly;his father and eldest brother arrived and were soon ruffling Oliver's pink hair and hugging him as well. It felt wonderful to be back home and the Brit was nonstop smiling the whole time.  Settling in his room, Oliver looked around and began to unpack, looking around to see the room neatly cleaned as he left it months ago. The days leading up to Christmas were full of baking, long talks of catching up, and preparing to have the rest of the Kirkland clan coming over to the large home. On Christmas eve night, Oliver was sitting with his mother by the fire to have a cup of tea and cookies before they retired. 

Eliza, who was a love bird with light green wings and dark blonde hair, hummed, "So, your days were good at the palace,huh? Was there anything or anyone you didn't like besides Gilbert?" 

"Not really. The prince was annoying at first and he turned out to be a pretty nice guy...I made a lot of friends as well! Elizaveta was the one who planned the harvest festival I told you about and I made friends with all the maids of the palace." Oliver hummed, sipping his tea carefully.

His mother smiled and leaned in close, "Anyone who caught your eye~? Any Prussian lovers?" She giggled when her son blushed and coughed as he put his cup down. "I take that as a 'yes'! Tell me, what's their name?"

Oliver cleared his throat, feeling his cheeks warm up, "Umm...i-it's someone..." He didn't want to give away the fact that he fell in love with the prince. Arthur already teased him about it, so he was afraid of what his parents would say.  The older lovebird chuckle and ruffled her son's hair as she stood up, "Alright, I want pry,dear. Now, I think it's time for me to sleep now. You should do the same; we have a busy day tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am...good night,mum."

"Goodnight, Oliver." Eliza kissed her son's forehead then went to clear their cups before heading to bed. 

Sighing, Oliver stood up and headed to his room, kicking off his shoes. Laying down, he thought about his love back at the palace. "I wonder how he's doing right now..."Looking at the iron cross around his neck, the Brit smiled,kissed it then relaxed.

Christmas was enjoyable and busy like his mother said - with family visiting, good food, the exchange of gifts, and an evening with warm coffee. Oliver and his brothers got to see their cousins and were all overwhelmed with questions about their lives from the older adults. None of them mind it until bother Arthur and Oliver were asked about when they'll find someone and settle down. After the Christmas high the next day, the remaining family spent it cleaning up and relaxing. The pink Brit still had a week before he had to return to the palace, so his days of vacation were spent helping his father at work or taking care of the 4 horses they owned. Two days before new years, the lovebird was outside in the snow,enjoying the cold air before it got too much or started to snow again. 

"Oliver! Come back in side! I have exciting news!"  Eliza called out from the house, waving to him with a paper.

He blinked in confusion and headed back into the house, "What's this exciting news? Did Ian's wife have her baby?"

The short woman shook her head, "No! It's Prince Gilbert! He's getting married and the family is invited!"

"He's what??" Oliver stared at his mother in disbelief,"Let me see that." he took the paper and read it ; surely, the letter was formally written by the queen herself, inviting the Kirkland family to the wedding of Gilbert Beilschmidt and Anya Braginsky. His stomach dropped as he read the words, "I...can't believe this..."

Eliza's smile turned in a frown, "Oliver? Sweetie, are you okay?"

"I...e-excuse me...!" He put the paper down and ran to his room, locking himself in side. "Gilbert can't seriously be doing this!  He's too prideful and stubborn to just go along with this!" Feeling angry, betrayed, and hurt, Oliver ended up crying as he tried to figure this out. His mind was jumping to conclusions - from whether or not did the crow really love him to whether this was just a joke. Taking a deep breath, the Brit tried to calm down, knowing he couldn't do anything until he was actually back at the palace.  This sudden news wasn't something he like to have on his mind to end the year with.

About an hour later, Eliza came to check on her youngest son, 'Oliver? Are you okay? I brought you some tea to help you..you looked a bit sick and I made your favorite." 

Oliver opened the door, looking pale and his eyes were red from crying, "Thank you mum..."

"Oh sweetie, what happened? You looked very upset when you found out the news of Gilbert' engagement."

"I...I'm just upset that he didn't contact me about it first. I'm one of his close friends and figured I'll be the first to know. "He didn't lying but a little white lie right now was helping the lovebird from breaking down again.

Eliza nodded, "I'm sure he wanted to tell you and when you get back, you two will probably prepare for it together. Now drink the tea and I'll make you some soup."

_Yea, sure he would..._ "Thank you, mother..I'm going to lay back down now." Oliver took the cup and gave a half smile to his mother before shutting the door once more.

* * *

"Well now, this is certainly a surprise." Julianne replied, tending to a needle point as Gilbert and her sat by the fire. It was the day after Christmas when her husband told her everything that happened when the men left the party. 

The prince groaned, "I didn't ask for this. Father just decided on it then and there! I don't trust Ivan and I am not going to relax until he's gone. " 

His mother just sighed, "It's odd that the Braginsky's did came all the way to do this but like any good Prussian family, we have to treat them like any other welcomed guest. I'll send out the invitations within the week so we can get a number of how many people we want to attend." Julianne's kindness never changes, no matter who it was. Now, Ivan and his sister were going to stay at the Crow palace for the next month until their wedding;which made the prince uneasy. He needed Oliver back so he wouldn't completely lose his mind over this sudden change in his home. 

Gilbert stood up and fixed his jacket,"Right..excuse me mother."

Gilbert headed back upstairs towards his room, noticing Oliver's door open. In hopes of maybe seeing the happy lovebird, his hopes dropped when he saw Anya about to open her trunk up. She was about to unpack until he spoke up, " You're not allowed to be in this room. It's already taken."

The woman stopped and looked at him, "I was told the rooms were available and I liked this one." 

"I don't care. Get the hell out and take your little trunk with you." The prince wasn't going to let anyone take over the room his beloved stayed in and he's definitely not letting Anya stay this close near his own room. 

Folding her arms, Anya scowled at him, "Whose taken up this room?"

Gilbert growled and grabbed her trunk,much to her protests, " This is a reserved room for the teacher who resides in the palace and I am not letting you stink it up! Now go find another room!" A young man with long brown hair, green eyes, and dark green wings came walking up the stairs with a bag that had 'A.B' initialed on it.

Anya glared at the Prussian and huffed, walking out of the room, "You better change that attitude if we're to marry in a month. Toris, come alone." She left down the hall with the other man grabbing her trunk and following her. The prince watched them go before he could no longer see her, shutting the door before he headed to his room. Gilbert shut the door and flopped on the bed, trying to shake out the poof in his black wings. How can he manage a month with the Braginskys when he can barely manage a day with them around? God, he needed Oliver. The Brit had a way of keeping the Prussian calm despite any situation he was put into.

"he's probably going to be angry when he finds out about this...fuck, why must this happen?" _Oliver, please don't hate me when you get back..._

"Toris," the young owl replied,stopping their walk in the middle of the quiet hallway. 

"Y-yes, Miss Anya?"

"I want you to find out everything about this so called teacher that apparently stays here. Ask the maids and the towns folk if you have to, then report back to me. I want his name, who he is, what he does, and why he apparently is staying in this palace. By the sound of it, this teacher seems close to Gilbert and we definitely can't have that. " The woman ordered, fixing the collar of her light pink dress.

The quiet man nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

Anya continued her stride, "Good. I am not going to have anyone stand in my way of getting this marriage done and continuing with our plans. The sooner we get things done, the sooner these stubborn Crows will be out of here."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for abandoning this story! i got so busy that i just brushed it aside and now rereading it I realized it's a grea story and it needs an ending. So I will be bringing Woes of A Crow to a Closure.

Oliver almost decided not to return to the Beilschmidt residence - since hearing about the news of Gilbert's engagement, the lovebird felt like he's been stabbed in the chest. But he needed clarification, so when the beginning of the year came and the carriage was arriving for him, the young man began to pack his suitcase with new clothes. Since Christmas, it was unbearable to hear his family so excited to be invited to a royal wedding when he couldn't even tell them that the prince was the one he fell in love with. First, his parents wanted grandchildren and Oliver knew they were expecting him to find some girl to marry to get them. Secondly, news of a teacher falling for a royal will be scandalous and he could already see the headlines of 'a degrading teacher seduces the prince'. "I'll be cast out of the kingdom!" Oliver said to himself, hiding his face with a groan, "What am I going to do?" A knock at the door made him perk up, "Oliver, sweetie? May I come in?"

"Y-Yes, of course." His mother came in, carrying a new jacket she made for him. Oliver moved a wing to fiddle with his flight feathers, "What can I do for you?" His mother placed the folded jacket on his suitcase then raised an eyebrow, "Well, right now, I am wondering what you are nervous about." The blue bird gave a nervous, "I am fine! Honestly, mum!" Eliza folded her arms with a clear look that she wasn't buying it, "Oliver, I know you're lying." He pouted a bit, "How do you know?"

"Because you always fiddle with your flight wings when you're lying or nervous." There's no way I am going to keep this charade up with her..., sighing, Oliver let go of his wing and sat down, "Are you sure you're not secretly a hawk? You see through everything.." Eliza chuckled and sat down beside him,"No need to be a hawk, love. It's just a mother worried about her son...now talk to me. I've noticed you been a little distant since Christmas and even at the New Years gathering you hardly talked to anyone. Are you sick?" On instinct, she touched her son's forehead to check his forehead. "N-No, mum...I'm not sick! I'm..."he whimpered, "I am not happy about Gilbert's engagement. Part of me wants to keep away an stay angry at him but part of me wants to go and talk to him. So, now I am in the middle of this battle of what I need to do..." 

Eliza hummed and pondered over this, "I see...well, if it was my friend and I cared about them, I think they would like me to come clean to them instead of hiding things from them. I'm sure the prince won't be angry if you speak to him about your disagreements - by the letters you have sent me, you have his full trust." Oliver thought about that and gave a half smile, "I suppose you're right...I guess talking to Gilbert won't do any harm. I only have two weeks left until his birthday when my contract is over." Gilbert can't possibly be okay with this marriage...it's not like him to willingly go with this...

Arthur called out from the hall, "Oliver, the carriage has arrived!" The blue bird sighed and stood up to finish his packing,"Well, I'll see you at this...wedding." Even saying that left a bad taste in his mouth - Oliver turned to his mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "You can always come home if things get out of hand." He thanked her and headed out to the royal carriage, being greeted by the carriage rider before he tucked his wings in to get in. Once the door shut, the Brit watched as the carriage headed out from his family home, "Gilbert...please let this all be a misunderstanding..."

* * *

Since the engagement was announced, Gilbert was forced to spend time with Anya - which wasn't bad since the woman was intelligent and spoke highly of herself, it was just boring to the crow. Her conversations were about where she wanted to spend their honeymoon, how many kids they wanted, and what she wanted to as queen. She had a whole plan down and it made the man awkward because he didn't know what he wanted to do for his future. But when Gilbert thought about it, he didn't see Anya; he saw Oliver, laughing, smiling, sharing every moment they get with each other. Upon hearing hearing the announcement of Oliver's return, the crow was about to leave but the woman forced him to stay by grabbing his arm tightly, "Your highness, it's rude to run off while accompanying a lady. I haven't told you about what I want to do in the Spring time." Holding back a groan, Gilbert bit his bottom lip and sat back down,"My apologies, Miss Anya. Pleas continue what your were saying..."

When he arrived, Oliver was bombarded by the twins who came running from a different room, "Ollie! Ollie's back!!" The little crows hugged him tightly and he couldn't help but chuckle, "It's good to see you guys again. Did you enjoy your holidays?" Ludwig nodded, "I got a new toy soldier for my collection! Plus father said I can learn how to use a bow now!" Luise tugged at her blue dress, "I got this and a new dolly!" 

The lovebird couldn't stay sad when it came to these exciting twins, "That's great! That dress is very cute on you, Luise;and Ludwig, be careful with that bow and arrow okay?" He smiled and began to walk up the stairs as the twins began talking to him about their Christmas as well as the upcoming wedding that made him frown a bit. This is going to be harder to approach than I thought..., Oliver headed to his room, waving good bye to the to twins. He closed the door, sat his suitcase down, then stretched his wings out before plopping on the bed, "It's a normal day here, but why do I feel awful?"

By lunch time, Anya was invited to lunch with the queen, freeing Gil from the woman's never ending talking. The crow ran to Oliver's room, about to knock before stopping himself, _he might be angry with me...dammit..._ ,he then knocked and heard the 'come in'. Opening the door to see Oliver sitting on the bed, the Prussian met his gaze and it was awkward silence as he shut the door. "Ollie..I..."

"Did you agree to it?" Oliver asked, frowning as he chewed on his bottom.

"What?" The crow instantly knew what he meant, "Ollie, no! Of course not!" Gilbert walked over to sit in front of Oliver, "Anya and her brother just showed up and decided to do a marriage to unite the kingdoms instead of a treaty. I tried to fight it but my father agreed to the marriage and I couldn't strike it down! This is not my decision I swear!" He lowered his voice and took his love's hands,"I promise, I didn't do this out of spite of you, Oliver....I love you not Anya and I am trying every thing I can to end this engagement."

The lovebird didn't looked at him, "But those invites were sent out real quick...it kind of shows you're okay with this...'

Stretching his black wings out to look more assertive, Gilbert spoke up, "Oliver Kirkland I did not agree to this marriage and you of all people know I wouldn't do this so easily!" He must have looked imposing because the smaller bird flinched back, making the prince fold his wings back in and sigh. "Look, I am not happy about this and I've been trying to find ways out of this the moment my father said I had to do it." Looking defeated, Gilbert laid down on the bed,"I can't marry her...it wouldn't be fair to your or myself...but I'm also torn by it because if I don't do this, it will end badly for the country..."

Oliver sighed, realizing he wasn't the only one conflicted by this - but with Gilbert, it was much worse considering his position. "Gilbert..." He laid down with his him, holding the crow's hand, "it's at least good to see you again...this past month really wasn't as fun since I kind of missed your snarky attitude..."

Chuckling, the Prussian smiled and rolled over to sit above his lovebird,"That's because you can't resist me." He kissed his lover then kissed around Oliver's face, hearing the giggles that helped lighten the mood. At least these next couple weeks won't be as bad while the prince is trying to get out of a marriage that the man refuses to have.

By dinner time, Oliver was welcomed by Julianne, who welcomed him like family, and joined the dinner table with the Kirkland family as well as the Braginsky siblings. This was the most weirdest and interesting dinner the lovebird as ever been to. First, he was no longer sitting by Gilbert, moving over to sit by the twins while Ivan and Anya sat by Gilbert and Julianne; next, the topic discussed was focused on the teacher. It started with Ivan, "So, this is the teacher you were speaking of, your majesty?"

"Mhmm...Since Oliver arrived here, the palace seems much brighter and Gilbert has turned out to be much kinder than before. Even the twins love him and they're usually not as open to strangers!" Alberich seemed to speak as if describing a son than a guest of the family. It irked Anya and she nonchalantly spoke about it,"With all do respect, your majesty, he's still a teacher and like most teachers they come and they go." Both Gilbert and Oliver exchanged glances, but none of them snapped, "Well,Miss Anya, haven't you heard about teachers becoming part of the family because of how much they are loved? It's quite common around here."

The owl scrunched her face as her brother spoke next,"Where are you from, Oliver? I've never met anyone with bright blue wings such as yours." Oliver felt intimidated by the man with violet eyes,"Mr lord, I come from the countryside and as for my wings, it's an uncommon trait that runs in my family.Only the third child born have them and it doesn't happen often..." _Were these owls really going to be part of the Kirkland family?_ , the lovebird thought, I _thought the Braginsky family stayed mostly in their own kingdom?_

Gilbert saw how nervous his love was and wanted to help keep him relaxed, but he had to keep up the appearance of a welcoming man to his guests. But what Anya said made him growl, "Well, all I know is that certain people belong in a certain place and most of the time, educators belong away from their students." The conversation moved to something else with the king and queen while Oliver stared at his plate, feeling suddenly sick. He stood up and bowed to everyone since he was the lower class among them, "Excuse me, everyone. I am feeling ill from my travels and need to rest..." Everyone but the owls and Gilbert said 'goodnight' to him, watching him go. It made the crow just frown, _Ollie..._

* * *

 

Instead of heading to his room, the lovebird went and flew up to one of the high windows, sitting on the ledge to look out the window to see it snowing once more. "Okay...not only are they intimidating, they're the typical snobs...lovely..." Oliver sighed, wondering if coming back was a bad idea - he was quite respected in the palace until now and if Anya is around his love, the lovebird was worried Gilbert will resort back to his old ways. 

He stayed there for an hour until a whistle came from down before - Oliver glanced down to see a brown haired man," Mr. Kirkland?" Oliver moved to fly down, gently landing on his feet, "Yes?" The brunette man handed a note to the pink haired man,"My name is Toris, the personal assistant to Miss Anya. She would like to meet with you tomorrow in the library at 1pm." _First she insults me now she wants to speak to me? I don't like this..._ , "Thank you. Let her know I will be there." The man nodded and left almost as quickly as he arrived, leaving Oliver to sort this out.

Heading to his room, the Brit was surprised to see Gilbert waiting for him, "Gilbert, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see if you are alright. What Anya said was way out of line and I saw it affected you..." The crow replied,walking over to wrap his arms around the smaller man, "I'm sorry for not saying anything..."

"It's fine...I mean, it was certainly out of the blue but I can handle myself." Oliver smiled and patted the prince's chest,"I'm a tough little bird, love. Some random owl is not going to scare me off that easily." Gilbert smiled and leaned into kiss him, "That's my babe. You're just as important as everyone else at that table no matter what two of them say." He then pulled away to pull the teacher to the bed, "Now come on.We have to make up for lost time!" Oliver giggled and followed, pulling off most of his clothes besides his undergarments - he then wiggled into the bed with Gilbert, who did the same.

Wrapping up into a cuddle bunch of skin and feathers, the two of them felt much happier now with each other. They had 16 days; 16 days to stop an engagement that is probably already being talked about across the kingdoms. But for now, the two men ignored that to enjoyed each other's company, keeping the bed warmer than their own beds have been this past month.

 


End file.
